Campaign Ribbons

The body of a gong-board, Gentle Reader, or more correctly, a medal-board, is made up of a number of elements, the primary component being the Campaign Ribbon.  Campaign Ribbons are only awarded for battles where the Regiment has travelled to “foreign parts”, has been operating in concert with another Regiment visiting the Greater Waikato, or has been defending this soil from external or “foreign” invaders.  No matter how large it may be, if the battle consists of the Regiment fighting a disaffected, rebellious local entity on our own soil, there is no Campaign Ribbon to be awarded, although the opportunities for Battle Honours will be no less.

These colourful representations of one's Active Service follow a number of simple, but no less important rules of form;

1. Campaign Ribbons are all 2-6 bars wide, the vast majority consisting of only three colours.
   
2. Black is only used on the extreme left (as viewed when worn) of a Ribbon if the 1st Canterbury Light Infantry were represented.
   
3. Black is only used on the extreme right (as viewed when worn) of a Ribbon if His Levity, the Arch Wizard of New Zealand was present.
   
4. New Regiments represented, but yet to choose a facing colour are always represented by a white bar, but only if all Regimental Facing Colours are being used in the balance of the Ribbon.  The white bar is always placed in the Regiment's numerical position with regards to the other Regiments there present from left to right (as viewed when worn) of the Ribbon.
   
5. When collected into a Board, gongs are laid horizontally from left to right (as viewed) to a maximum width of 15 vertical colour bars bars, oldest to most recent.
   

Each combination of colours has some significance for the battle concerned, whether it be a shorthand description of the units present, something important about the weather, or some major event that occurs at the time.