As the standard combat uniform of the New Zealand Army was khaki drill during the Second World War, largely ineffective as camouflage in a jungle environment, the need for a better suited uniform was addressed in 1942. Standard khaki drill uniforms were modified at three different camouflage sections in Aukland, Christchurch, and Wellington, by manually applying a camouflage pattern using spray equipment, producing random dark green, dark brown, and light green shapes. The resulting pattern was a mottled scheme with little recognizable design, but which functioned more effectively than the plain khaki drill in the jungle combat zones of the Pacific theater. Several thousand of these uniforms were in service by 1943 and saw action with the 3rd Division/2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Pacific. Specifically, the camouflage uniforms were worn by the 8th Brigade in the battle of the Treasury Islands, and by the 14th Brigade in the battle of Vella Lavella - both in the Solomon Islands. When the 3rd Division was disbanded in 1944, no further use was made of these expedient combat suits. Very few have survived into the present and they were never issued again to New Zealand forces.
