Great find, I have also come across this photo and I have two hypothesise that I have been pondering.
1. Planning for a NZ Ordnance Corps was stared in earnest in 1911, with Individuals trained in Ordnance matters and Ordnance Depots formed for the annual camps of 1913 and 1914. When NZ mobilised an Ordnance Department was formed in the mobilisation camps to assist in equipping the troops for overseas service. Given that there were AOC armourers attached to the New Zealand Forces, it is highly probably that the AOC badge was adopted as the 1st NZ ordnance Badge.
2. When the NZEF Main body arrived in Egypt, then Sergeant Levien was attached to the British Ordnance Corps Depot at the Citadel in Cairo to study the British Ordnance systems, considering New Zealand had no Ordnance Corps, maybe AOC badges were adopted by the NZ DAODS staff to identify them as Ordnance and not ASC.
I would really love to know what colour the pugaree was, if it was in the ordnance colours it would indicate that some thought had been given to NZ Ordnance Identifiers.
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