The 4x400m relay has been contested in the Olympics since 1912 for men and 1972 for women.
The first 500m of the relay distance is usually run within lanes, after which runners break to the inside. Handovers after this take place across the track with the positions of the incoming runners at the start of the final straight determining the standing order from the rail.
For relays, the youngest member of the relay team determines the age group of the team.
| NZ National | World | World Indoor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| M35 | no record | 3:17.82 Baird Brown Collins Beardsell GBR (2015) | 3:22.03 Joachim Thomas Winslow Wensel USA (2006) |
| M40 | 3:48.90 Don Parker Nigel Hopkins David Rowell Reg House (1987) | 3:20.83 Allah Morning Gonera Blackwell USA (2001) | 3:25.04 Thomas Wensel Mulazim Winslow USA (2010) |
| M45 | 3:51.65 David Sirl Ron Robertson Murray Savage Malcolm Fraser (1987) | 3:22.79 Vickers Gomes Bridges Woodard USA (2017) | 3:36.17 Nilsson Didrikson Sunneborn Hagg SWE (2020) |
| M50 | 3:56.79 Mike Weddell David Rowell Ron Robertson Ashley McLaughlin (1999) | 3:31.76 Sullivan Moody Gatling Blackwell USA (2011) | 3:37.21 Winslow Wensel Echeadia Mulazim USA (2020) |
| M55 | no record | 3:40.62 Allie Haywood Collins Grant USA (2010) | 4:02.76 Groger Poschwatta Liesicke Weise GER (2022) |
| M60 | no record | 3:51.33 Collins Grant Haywood Allie USA (2013) | 3:58.03 RIddle Allie Haywood Blake USA (2014) |
| M65 | no record | 4:01.03 Ortan Allie Jones Haywood USA (2019) | 4:24.16 Schaffman Taft Somerville Haywood USA (2019) |
| M70 | no record | 4:17.47 Scheidt Nehren Klaus Muller FIN (2009) | 4:26.15 Perlis Pierce Cash Allie USA (2018) |
| M75 | no record | 4:47.85 Jakob Klaus Knorr Muller GER (2015) | 5:24.52 Stewart Ukonmaanaho Dargie Bhullar CAN (2022) |
| M80 | no record | 5:32.29 Carr Harrod Coffey Hughes AUS (2012) | 5:57.21 Darimont Knorr Keck Wendt CAN (2022) |
| M85 | no record | 6:53.22 Vecchi Marchioni Bertaggia Paderno ITA (2022) | no record |
| M90 | no record | 9:23.29 Tsuruga Kudo Mitsuya Tanaka JPN (2022) | 12:54.81 Rogers Ross Hemphill Englert USA (2015) |
| NZ National | World | World Indoor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| W35 | 4:25.70 Andrea Harris Angie Ross Sally Gibbs Vanessa Story (2016) | 3:50.80 Mitchell Mathews Beadhall Gabriel GBR (1999) | 4:05.13 Reynolds de Boer Penado Heath USA (2016) |
| W40 | 4:09.11 Christine Turner Margaret August Noni Callander Helen Clent (1987) | 3:56.02 Seidel Gazda-Sagolla Kroner Heidrich GER (2002) | 4:03.72 Friend-Uhl, Gentile Walles McGower USA (2016) |
| W45 | 4:29.87 Tui Ramanui Sue Waru Chris Waring Wendy Brown (1997) | 4:01.22 Forster Motti Mogentale Brims AUS (2011) | 4:22.46 Eronn Take Akervall Hermundstad SWE (2020) |
| W50 | 4:43.32 Sheryl Gower Chris Waring Lynne Mackay Wendy Brown (2001) | 4:10.80 Mahady Horder Saunders-Mullins Powell GBR (2009) | 4:22.10 McGowan Harvey J Rohl DeOliveira USA (2022) |
| W55 | no record | 4:23.52 McDonald Valle Rohl Brockner USA (2021) | 4:27.07 Brockner Harvey A Collier McDonald USA (2022) |
| W60 | 5:25.81 Sheryl Gower Tui Ashe Chris Waring Shirley Barber (2011) | 4:41.85 West Godsell Horder Powell GBR (2018) | 5:00.53 Tolfes Karnevack Sjoqvist Wizen SWE (2020) |
| W65 | no record | 4:52.76 Davis Blurton Flynn Peake AUS (2017) | 6:55.32 Hudnall Lucking Mullis Dubow Aderhold USA (2019) |
| W70 | no record | 5:32.95 Macliver Hampson Lang Allison AUS (2015) | 7:21.74 Harada Szawlowksi Parsi Hayes USA (2010) |
| W75 | 6:58.70 Marcia Petley Dawn Cumming Clasina van der Veeken Margaret Peters (2009) | 6:53.27 Robinson Worsley Michelsohn Green USA (2019) | 8:42.71 Robinson Staab Radle Berger USA (2022) |
| W80 | no record | 7:59.18 Green Daprano Langenwalter Hurrell USA (2018) | no record |