Chief of Air Force (New Zealand)

Chief of Air Force (CAF) is the most senior appointment in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, responsible to the Chief of Defence Force. The post was originally known as the Chief of the Air Staff.

Chief of Air Force
Incumbent Darryn Webb since 2 October 2023
Style	Air Vice Marshal
Member of	New Zealand Defence Force
Reports to	Chief of Defence Force
Term length	Three years (renewable)
Inaugural holder	Group Captain Ralph Cochrane
Formation	1 April 1937

Appointees

Air Vice Marshal Sir Leonard Isitt, representing New Zealand, accepts the Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945

  This along with the * (asterisk) indicates that the individual was subsequently promoted to air marshal and appointed Chief of Defence Force.

The following list chronologically records those who have held the post of Chief of Air Force or its preceding positions, with rank and honours as at the completion of the individual's term.

Rank	Name	Postnominals	Service	Term began	Term ended
Chief of the Air Staff
Group Captain	Ralph Cochrane	CBE, AFC	RAF	1 April 1937[1]	24 February 1939
Group Captain	Hugh Saunders	CBE, MC, DFC & Bar, MM	RAF	25 February 1939[2]	28 September 1941
Air Commodore	Victor Goddard	CB, CBE	RAF	29 September 1941[3]	18 July 1943
Air Vice-Marshal	Sir Leonard Isitt	KBE	RNZAF	19 July 1943[4]	May 1946
Air Vice-Marshal	Sir Arthur Nevill	KBE, CB	RNZAF	May 1946	January 1951
Air Vice-Marshal	David Carnegie	CB, CBE, AFC	RAF	January 1951[5]	22 February 1954
Air Vice-Marshal	Walter Merton	CB, OBE	RAF	23 February 1954[6]	4 June 1956
Air Vice-Marshal	Cyrus Kay	CB, CBE, DFC	RNZAF	5 June 1956	30 June 1958
Air Vice-Marshal	Malcolm Calder	CB, CBE	RNZAF	1 July 1958	November 1962
Air Vice-Marshal	Ian Morrison	CB, CBE	RNZAF	November 1962	July 1966
Air Vice-Marshal	Cameron Turner	CB, CBE	RNZAF	July 1966	July 1969
Air Vice-Marshal	William Stratton	CB, CBE, DFC & Bar	RNZAF	July 1969	July 1971
Air Vice-Marshal	Douglas St George	CB, CBE, DFC, AFC	RNZAF	July 1971	September 1974
Air Vice-Marshal	Richard Bolt*	CB, CBE, DFC, AFC	RNZAF	September 1974	October 1976
Air Vice-Marshal	Larry Siegert	CB, CBE, MVO, DFC, AFC	RNZAF	October 1976	October 1979
Air Vice-Marshal	Ewan Jamieson*	CB, OBE	RNZAF	October 1979	April 1983
Air Vice-Marshal	David Crooks*	CB, OBE	RNZAF	April 1983	October 1986
Air Vice-Marshal	Patrick Neville	CB, CBE, AFC	RNZAF	October 1986	1988
Air Vice-Marshal	Peter Adamson	CB, OBE	RNZAF	1988	1992
Air Vice-Marshal	John Hosie	CB, OBE	RNZAF	1992	September 1995
Air Vice-Marshal	Carey Adamson*	CNZM, AFC	RNZAF	September 1995[7]	24 February 1999
Air Vice-Marshal	Don Hamilton	OBE	RNZAF	25 February 1999[8]	24 February 2002
Chief of Air Force
Air Vice-Marshal	John Hamilton	ONZM, MVO	RNZAF	25 February 2002[9]	30 April 2006
Air Vice-Marshal	Graham Lintott	ONZM	RNZAF	1 May 2006[10]	30 April 2011
Air Vice-Marshal	Peter Stockwell	ONZM, AFC	RNZAF	1 May 2011	30 April 2014
Air Vice-Marshal	Mike Yardley	DSD	RNZAF	1 May 2014[11]	22 March 2016
Air Vice-Marshal	Tony Davies*	MNZM	RNZAF	23 March 2016[12]	9 September 2018
Air Vice-Marshal	Andrew Clark		RNZAF	10 September 2018[13]	2 October 2023
Air Vice-Marshal	Darryn Webb	MNZM	RNZAF	2 October 2023	Incumbent