A really nice example.

The Victorian-era New Zealand Volunteer Force was a part-time military organisation, established under the Militia Act of 1858, consisting of local infantry, cavalry, and artillery corps. 

• Formed across settlements as independent small corps, typically holding fewer than 100 men each.

• Allowed units the unusual right to elect their own local officers.

• Supported by an annual government capitation grant paid based on unit efficiency numbers.

• Total active strength stabilised around 6,600 members nationwide. 

Operations

• Characterised by sporadic local drills, with many corps rarely leaving their halls except for social or ceremonial dress parades.

• Frequently criticised by authorities for lacking strict military discipline, training, and professional leadership.

• Provided localised defense and select active deployments during parts of the New Zealand Wars and the Second Boer War. 

Dissolution

• Phased out following the Defence Act of 1909.

• Converted officially into the structured Territorial Force in February 1910.