The New Zealand Army Band, also known as Puoro Puoro Ngāti Tūmatauenga, was a premier brass ensemble established in 1964 by Captain James Carson. Based at Burnham Camp, the unit served as the official musical representative of the New Zealand Army. The group made its debut performance in Auckland in 1964. The ensemble’s repertoire encompassed military marches, ceremonial works, pop, rock, and jazz. The band released the recordings On Parade (1974) and Entertainers Supreme (1976). The ensemble was one of three military bands spared during a 2012 government cost-cutting review. During a 2018 appearance at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the group received the Pooley Sword. Carson was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1974. He reached the rank of Major and received the Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977. Carson died on August 16, 2008.
