The
Bob Semple tank was a
tank designed by
New Zealand Minister of Works Bob Semple during
World War II. Originating out of the need to build military hardware from available materials, the tank was built from
corrugated iron on a tractor base. Designed and built during a period of uncertainty in which New Zealand may have to defend itself from Japanese invasion without external assistance, these tanks were a civilian effort to design and create a means to protect New Zealand.
Designed and built without formal plans or blueprints, it had numerous design flaws and practical difficulties, and was never put into mass production or used in combat.