The German artillery piece, a 77mm 1916 Feld Kanone, has been in the town since 1921 and is based next to the war memorial obelisk.
The condition of the gun had deteriorated and the Naseby Vision group decided to restore it.
"There aren't too many of these guns around, as you would imagine, so we thought it should be preserved," Naseby Vision chairman John Crawford said.
"Now it's in pretty much pristine condition, with the only marks on it the original shrapnel damage it received during the war. The rest of it is perfect."
The work has been completed in time for Naseby to host the Maniototo Anzac Day commemorations.
While no specific details of the gun's capture by New Zealand soldiers were recorded, by November 1918 the New Zealand division had captured from the Germans a total of 287 officers, 8745 other ranked soldiers, 145 field guns, 1419 machineguns and three tanks, Mr Crawford said.
The restoration of the gun included sandblasting, refurbishing and repainting to its original grey finish. New wheels were built by a wheelwright, the timber seasoned and new supports added to bear the gun's weight.
A plaque outlining its history has been installed next to the gun.
The work was part of an ongoing Naseby Vision project to preserve the Naseby War memorial and had cost more than $6000, he said.
Grants were received from the NZ Lottery Grants Board, Naseby Heritage Trust and the Maniototo Community Trust.
Naseby Vision members Philip Ballard, John Steele and Eric Swinbourn supervised the project, with technical assistance from Grant Sherriff and Aaron Fox, Mr Crawford said.
The inclusion of a German gun as part of the town's war memorial had sparked some debate in the past, he said. "Going back a few years, I've been told about two older returned servicemen, who refused to salute the war memorial when parading past it on Anzac Day, because of the German gun."
Gun's history
- Built in 1916 by Dusseldorf arms manufacturer for the Imperial German Army.
- Was in active service until captured in August 1918 by New Zealand soldiers.
- First sent to England, then transported to New Zealand as ballast in the hold of a troop ship.
- Arrived in Wellington in 1918 to form part of a national museum display of captured artillery.
- Display never eventuated, so collection broken up and distributed to local authorities, schools and museums.
- The Naseby Borough Council applied for a trophy gun and was allocated the Feld Kanone.
- Arrived in Naseby in 1921
