New Zealand's Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee said Tuesday he had given the go ahead for the armed forces to begin training for possible deployment to Iraq.
The minister said the training would include force protection and cultural awareness.
A group of military planners have already been deployed to assess whether New Zealand can play a role in training Iraqi troops to fight the Daesh organization.
"These personnel continue to assess the possible nature and location of a mission to train Iraqi Defence Forces," he said.
Prime Minister John Key has indicated a decision on deployment could be made before the end of February.