The Naval Communications Station Irirangi of the Royal New Zealand Navy, which is 2 km north of Waiouru and near the Waiouru Army Camp, was established in WWII (1943) as the Waiouru W/T (Wireless Telegraph) Station. Its location, in the middle of the North Island, put it far away from the sea. In 1951 the station was designated HMNZS Irirangi, which means spirit voice in Maori.