History and culture lessons have featured heavily in pre-deployment training for Kiwi troops heading to Iraq.

Around six weeks of New Zealand-based training is now complete, with personnel set to join the Australian Defence Force after Easter.

Brigadier Peter Kelly is the army's Land Component Commander.

He says it was important pre-deployment training introduced the soldiers to the type of environment they'll be going into.

"There was a fair bit on the history of Iraq, and understanding the various cultures and ethnic groups within Iraq. Understanding the differences in Islam too is important so we spent a fair bit of time on it."

Peter Kelly says this education, and learning basic language skills, made up a large chunk of the training.

Troops will join the Australian Defence Force for the next phase of preparation, and Peter Kelly says New Zealand soldiers will be put through a rehearsal mission exercise alongside the Australians.

"We'll run them through a series of scenarios that have been developed between New Zealand and Australia, so to speak a collaborative approach. It will really test the force and really give them their final shakedown."

He says there was also a focus on areas such as weapon and medical training, and military planning exercises.

Meanwhile Iraqi forces are battling the last jihadists in Tikrit.

They want to seal a victory the government has described as a milestone in efforts to rid the country of Islamic State.

Iraqi fighters are picking their way through the rubble-strewn streets, wary of any last-ditch attack from diehard IS fighters and of the thousands of bombs they've left behind.

The loss of Tikrit further isolates the main IS hub of Mosul.

That's where Iraq's top brass is now training its sights, while Kurdish forces close in from three other directions.

Mosul was seized from the government at the same time as Tikrit in June last year.