New Zealand troops are in Australia preparing for a joint mission in Iraq.
The New Zealand government has committed to sending up to 143 military personnel to help train Iraqi forces to fight Islamic State extremists.
Troops will be working alongside their Australian counterparts as part of a joint mission.
Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee says about 40 to 50 troops have gone across the Tasman for training ahead of their deployment, though no date for them to head to Iraq has been set.
"We will go there when the conditions and circumstances are right for our guys to move in there," he told reporters on Tuesday.
It has been previously announced that troops would be sent in May.
Mr Brownlee says the government has reached a "satisfactory agreement" with Iraq to provide the necessary legal protections for New Zealand soldiers.
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