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SAILOR OF
THE YEAR 2021
HMNZS MATATAUAIN ICELAND
HOMEPORT APP
WINS AWARDILLEGALFISHINGTARGETEDContents
20 Crossing the line in pictures

04 Sailor of the Year07

On patrol in the Pacific24

Recollections from the first ENDEAVOUR10HMNZS MATATAUA in Iceland

32

Crossed the Bar

14

Navy’s HomePort wins award

35

15 Rounds

17

Navy graduate earns wings“	I’ve always had supportive
people around me and I feellike any challenges have beenachievable because of the
support I’ve had.”–L eading Marine Technician (Propulsion)
Jemma Hokai-Mataia, Sailor of the Year

04
Navy Today is the official magazineof the Royal New Zealand Navy.
Established to inform, inspireand entertain serving and former
members of the RNZN, theirfamilies, friends and the wider
Navy Community.
Published by:
Defence Public Affairs
HQ NZ Defence Force
Wellington, New Zealand

NZNavynavy.mil.nz

Editor:Andrew Bonallack
Email: navytoday@nzdf.mil.nz
Design and Layout:
Defence Public Affairs

NZDefenceForce

Printed by:Bluestar
Private Bag 39996, Wellington
Distribution:
Email: navytoday@nzdf.mil.nz

07
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2|Navy Today #261

24

Front cover:A SH-2G(I) Seasprite lands
onboard HMNZS WELLINGTON
after conducting flight training andmanoeuvres at sea.
Photographer:
CPL Dillon Anderson

Yours Aye
Chief of the Navy

Rear Admiral David Proctor
Chief of Navy
As 2021 draws to a close, I am mindful
it has been a year characterised byunique challenges and much sacrifice bysailors and their whānau. I am especiallyaware of the hardships faced by thoseoverseas and the majority of the Navyfamilies who reside in Auckland. I thankyou for what you have done in responseto the pandemic.
Balanced against the many challenges,
2021 has also been a year where wehave seen our ships and sailors doing
much mahi in and around New Zealand,in the Pacific, and wider around theglobe, returning to places we have notoperated in for a number of years. From
Iceland, to the Middle East, to South East
Asia, to Canada, with our South West
Pacific neighbours and friends, and manyother places in between, we have seen
teams of sailors serving as outstanding
ambassadors of Aotearoa.
And of course, the year is not finishedand the tasking continues. As I type thisYours Aye article, HMNZS WELLINGTON
is arriving on station in the Solomon
Islands. At the request of the Solomon
Islands’ government, WELLINGTON has
been deployed to provide support anda stability presence. This operation was
not planned and I regret the short noticethat will have upset the plans of her crew
and whānau.
Below I repeat the message sent by
the Maritime Component Commander,
Commodore Garin Golding, RNZN, to theship as she departed Devonport:
As you make way towards the Solomon
Islands I wanted to thank each andevery one of you for the professional,
timely and proactive approach I
have witnessed in response to thisemergent task. I acknowledge that you

have spent a relatively long period oftime at sea in recent months where you
have directly contributed to regional
stability and security through tasks
such as delivery of vaccines and thepatrol of our partners’ EEZs.
Your current task will, once again,
demonstrate our commitment toregional peace and stability byreassuring the people of the Solomon
Islands by being a visible presence.
I know you will maintain this operational
mindset by maintaining a readiness to
respond to emergent tasking.
I also wish to acknowledge the support
provided to you all by our friends andwhānau at home. This is, more thanever, at the forefront of our minds at
this time of year as we look towards
the festive period. Your continued
devotion to duty at this time is greatly
appreciated and I wish you all every
success for the coming weeks.
Albeit targeted to WELLINGTON, I notethe message could apply equally to all
sailors who have been required to serveaway from home this year. Your duty has
helped others.
Regards ‘duty and service’, I am
immensely proud of the security andmilitary effect Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa
has provided in 2021. Notwithstanding
the testing environment, the RoyalNew Zealand Navy has undoubtedly
delivered its mission and “advanced
New Zealand’s interests from the sea”.
To you, my comrades, through yourefforts and professionalism you havebrought great credit to the Navy anddelivered security and confidence
to Kiwis during a time of fear anduncertainty. You have also contributed
security and stability to our friends andpartners around the world, representing
Aotearoa/New Zealand at the very
highest level. Iwi Heramana you should
be proud of what you have achieved;
I thank you for your service.
As I look ahead to 2022, I see a year of
new opportunities for ships and sailors
to get to sea and deploy through the
Pacific and wider. I see a year where
we focus on strengthening our culture
through the leadership and work of the
Maritime Culture Guardianship Board,and that of every sailor, while also
applying effort in our chosen specialist
areas, and of course continue ournecessary leadership training. And while
COVID-19 will not go away, we are now
in a very different position to where wewere 12 months ago. I am committed to
us developing ways whereby we can getback to using sport and team activities
as a critical enabler to building crewcohesion and operational preparedness.
We can manage the risk… risk is our job,
it is what we do every day. Fun is also ourjob… it should be what we do every day.
Let’s get after it in 2022!!
As I reread the above, a whakatauki
perhaps best captures my thinking;“he moana pukepuke e ekengia e tewaka” – a choppy sea can be navigated.
It has been a challenging year, however,through the professionalism of you, thepeople of Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa,
and the support of our families and wider
iwi heramana, we have achieved muchand are in a great position to advanceconfidently into 2022 – a year where
I encourage a focus on ourselves asnaval professionals, on regenerating ournaval capability… and fun, lots of fun!
He heramana ahau
Navy Today #261|

3

“You learn a lot about
yourself, and it
challenges the way you
think. I enjoy hearing
different perspectives
from others.”

4|Navy Today #261

SAILOR OF THE YEARSAILOR OF THE YEAR

LMT(P) Jemma Hokai-Mataia
Recruit Training Squadron Instructor –Fleet Personnel and Training

Leading Marine Technician (Propulsion) Jemma Hokai-Mataia enjoys
both the challenges and diversity that come with being a sailor in theRoyal New Zealand Navy. Now, as the Sailor of the Year for 2021,
she’ll be a voice for junior sailors and drive initiatives on their behalf.
She says the nomination and eventual
award came out of the blue. “It’sdaunting, but I’m excited,” she says.
Each year the award is given to ajunior sailor who takes action to makea significant and positive contribution
to the RNZN and New Zealand
Defence Force, and who personifies
the core values of the service.
Originally from Auckland, LMT(P)
Hokai-Mataia joined the Navy in 2013,
two weeks after her 17th birthday.
“My dad told me to get a trade, tohave something to fall back on. I saw
the Navy as a good opportunity toprovide a trade, and my family wasvery supportive”.

“I didn’t know much about marine
engineering to begin with, but I
thought the trade looked interesting
when I read about it. I’ve really enjoyed
my roles as a marine technician.”

She says instructing is challenging,but in a good way. “You learn a lot
about yourself, and it challenges theway you think. I enjoy hearing different
perspectives from others.”

After Basic Common Training and her
trade training she posted to HMNZSCANTERBURY and has been involvedin Humanitarian and Disaster Aid
Relief missions to the Pacific Islands.
Posting to frigate HMNZS TE KAHA,
she helped deliver the ship to Canada
and did two postings in support of the
ship’s Frigate Systems Upgrade.

Her biggest challenge in her career
is similar to many others – COVID-19.
“There was a lot of uncertainty around
COVID when we were on ship. But
we were looked after pretty well. I’ve
always had supportive people aroundme and I feel like any challenges
have been achievable because of the
support I’ve had.”

She is currently operating “out of
branch” as a Recruit Training School(RTS) instructor for the BasicCommon Trainees. Her Sailor of theYear citation praises her work ethic
with the recruits, describing her as
an “exceptional leader… a passionate,well-respected and influential
instructor, composed at all times”.

Navy Today #261 |5

UNITED STATESNAVY ARRIVES
There’s nothing likea blustery northerly
to welcome a foreign
ship to Wellington.
Escorted by HMNZS TAUPO, Arleigh
Burke-class destroyer USS HOWARD
arrived in Wellington on Friday 26
November, the first United States
Navy vessel to visit New Zealand in
five years.
HOWARD had already put in sometime with the Royal New Zealand
Navy near Great Barrier Island earlier
in the week, conducting a two-hour
replenishment-at-sea evolution withHMNZS AOTEAROA to top up hertanks. The two ships also practised
Replenishment at Sea approaches
and Officer of the Watch manoeuvres
as training for both crews.
Of the entire crew, only her
Commanding Officer, Commander
Travis Montplaisir, had been to
Wellington before. He told reporters

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Navy Today #261

he had been talking up the port
visit. “New Zealand is an amazing
country and an amazing partner.
I’m very excited to represent
the United States Navy and the
7th Fleet here and we are verymuch looking forward to it.”
HOWARD’s visit to Wellington isa routine port visit, typical of the
movements of a US Navy ship in the
Indo-Pacific. “It’s a visible sign ofcommitment to our allies, partners
and friends. We do our best work
working alongside those allies,
partners and friends and it enables
us the opportunity to conduct
interoperability events, like withrefuelling with the New Zealand oiler
just a couple of days ago.”
He said AOTEAROA was a“fantastic” ship and the crew were
exceptionally professional. “Theevent was absolutely seamless, andthey were kind enough to give us
some additional time afterwards
to run practice runs. We were very
honoured to have an opportunity towork with them.”

HOWARD had at least 14 days’
isolation at sea prior to her arrival in
Wellington, and all crew had to havetested negative for COVID-19 before
disembarking, as well as being fully
vaccinated.
She is the same class of ship as USS
SAMPSON, which came to the RoyalNew Zealand Navy’s 75th Anniversary
and International Naval Review in2016. During that visit, SAMPSON
became involved in the combined
task force response to the Kaikōura
earthquake.
Rear Admiral David Proctor, Chief ofNavy, said the New Zealand Defence
Force and the US Navy have a long
history of engagement and working
together. “The latest example ofwhich was the interaction by HMNZSTE KAHA and HMNZS AOTEAROA
with US Navy and other partners’
ships off Guam.” (See Navy Today
October).

STRONG MESSAGE
TO ILLEGAL FISHERS
New Zealand’s contribution to the fight against
illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the
Pacific is something the Royal New Zealand Navytakes seriously, even in pandemic times.

Navy Today #261|

7

Last month HMNZSWELLINGTON
undertook a maritime
resource borderprotection operationin the Western
Pacific, running from
8 to 30 November.
The patrols, coordinated with thenations of Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu
and Tokelau, were backed up withaerial surveillance using an embarked
SH-2G(I) Seasprite helicopter and aP-3K2 Orion from No. 5 Squadron.
It’s an important job in support of
the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries
Agency (FFA), says Commander Joint
Forces New Zealand Rear Admiral
Jim Gilmour.

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Navy Today #261

“The quotas and rules that the FFA
have in place are there for a reason,
ensuring the fisheries are managed
effectively for future generations. The
New Zealand Defence Force has thecapability to assist the FFA and our
Pacific neighbours to maintain anduphold those rules.”No boardings of foreign fishingvessels were carried out, to ensure
a contactless mission, but the crew
monitored and recorded activity.
Twenty-four vessels from a rangeof countries were identified in the
Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ),
high seas corridors and high seas
pockets, and were reported to therelevant authorities.

WELLINGTON’s work included
coordinated patrols with the Republicof Fiji Navy’s Guardian-class patrol
boat SAVENACA. Commanding
Officer of WELLINGTON, LieutenantCommander Philip Davies, said
although there was no opportunity tointeract with the crew at a personallevel, the ships operating together
provided the chance to practisecommunicating through various
means and manoeuvring while inclose proximity.
“These skills are important when
we may be called on to assist ina response to a natural disaster.
Coordinated patrols also demonstrate
New Zealand’s commitment tocombatting illegal, unreported andunregulated fishing in the region.”ON PATROL IN THE PACIFIC

Within days of returning fromfisheries patrols, HMNZSWELLINGTON and her Ship’sCompany departed for theSolomon Islands on December
6, to support New Zealand’s
stability and security
mission. She is part of the NZ
government response to aformal request for assistancefrom the Solomon Islands
Government following civil
unrest in the country. NZ Armyand NZ Police left earlier onRoyal New Zealand Air Forceaircraft.
“2021 has definitely showcasedthe ‘workhorse’ nature ofa Royal New Zealand Navy
Offshore Patrol Vessel, even in apandemic,” says LTCDR Davies.
“We have delivered scientists to
the Kermadec Islands, travelledthousands of nautical miles
to deliver COVID-19 vaccines
to the Pacific, and we’ve only
just returned from fisheries
patrol duty in the Western
Pacific. This operation to the
Solomon Islands, in supportof the maintenance of peaceand stability, is what our Ship’sCompany is trained, equipped
and ready to do, and we areproud to be assisting.”

Navy Today #261 |9Defeating
the Device
You can’t deploy much further
than Iceland. Navy Today catches
up with the divers at Exercise
Northern Challenge.

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Navy Today #261

HMNZS MATATAUA IN ICELAND

It’s a first for the Royal New Zealand
Navy – having a team at NATO’s
premier Improvised Explosive Device
Disposal (IEDD) exercise held in
Iceland over a three-week period.
The annual Exercise Northern
Challenge, hosted at the Icelandic
Coast Guard facility in Keflavik, involves
around 17 countries coming together topractise responding to real-life terrorist
incidents involving improvised andmilitary explosive devices.
Petty Officer Diver Luke Leadbetter,
HMNZS MATATAUA, says the Navy
have been sending one or two people
each year in a directing staff role, but
this time nine personnel, including a
medic, logistics supply specialist andfive operators, were able to attend as
part of a Maritime Explosive OrdnanceDisposal (MEOD) Team.
MATATAUA’s Clearance Divers are
the only trade in the New Zealand
Defence Force that conducts maritime
ordnance disposal.
“Those years we’ve been sending
people as directing staff, that’s allowed
us to get a foot in the door. It’s about
half a decade of groundwork to get tothis point.”

The focus of the exercise is on theoperator, aiming to sharpen theirtechnical skills to effectively neutralise
devices in scenarios that become
increasingly complex and reflect realworld situations or challenges.
“The team leader will get the tasking,and the MEOD team will go out to the
Area of Operation, do the work, while
directing staff are there, assessing.
Each evening, all the directing staff
will go off, and critique what theysaw. It’s about constant evaluationand improvement.” For this exercise
PODR Leadbetter was deployed as
one of the directing staff.
In other Explosive OrdnanceDisposal (EOD) exercises there areother elements at play, including
networking with other non-EOD units
and practising communication andintegration. “But this is purely about
the operator. This is real stuff. You’ve
got IED’s with technical switches,
wi-fi armed, radio activated, all sortsof things. Every device they have todefeat, is a device that has been usedin anger somewhere in the world. It’s
happened before. Our job is to solve
the puzzle. If you have to do this for
real, there’s no space for making
mistakes. But we have very good

processes, extremely well-thought-out
Standard Operating Procedures.”
Some tasks would involve land-based
devices, but most were in the water.
Actors were used as ‘witnesses’,people who had seen a device andwere reporting it to authorities, andthe MATATAUA MEOD operators
would have to question them to try
and get an idea of what they faced.
Able Diver Jamie Bell says the highthreat environment was a big learning
curve, with other nations having moreexperience than New Zealand. “We
got on with it. A lot of the NATO guys
were happy to share their tips andtricks, which was quite cool. We’ll
take this back to New Zealand. It was
great to be part of the first team fromNew Zealand to go.”
PODR Leadbetter says New Zealand
did well at Northern Challenge. “Whenthe assessors sit down at night, goingover what went well and what didn’t,
you get a gauge of where we stand in
the world. New Zealand was getting
really good feedback, and we can bereally proud of where we stand. We
know we could be a real asset for ourallies. We’ve proven we can do this,and definitely left Iceland with ourheads held high.”Navy Today #261 |11

AROUND
THE FLEETSEA TRIALSCONCLUDEDHMNZS TE MANA
In late November in Esquimalt, Canada, TE MANA’s
sea acceptance trials period concluded, marking
yet another milestone in the Ship’s Frigate Systems
Upgrade story. Ahead are more sea training weeks,
including a short passage to Seattle, as the ship andher company prepare for the passage to New Zealandearly next year.

WELCOMEHOMEHMNZS CANTERBURY
Sporting a very nice paint job is HMNZSCANTERBURY, captured by Navy
photographer PO Chris Weissenborn on
her arrival back in New Zealand on 23
November.
CANTERBURY has been in Singapore sinceAugust, undertaking her 15-year survey anddocking maintenance. The work included
new underwater hull coatings, removal andmaintenance of the propeller shafts, rubberstocks and underwater valves. The side andstern ramps were removed for overhaul andthe topsides and shell plating received a newpaint scheme.
Ahead is a modernisation of the Embarked
Forces’ heads and bathrooms, and thereplacement of the galley floor.

12| Navy Today #261

AROUND THE FLEETMAINTENANCE
TICKED OFFHMNZS MANAWANUIHMNZS MANAWANUI eased out of the Calliope
drydock on 16 November, following a threemonth maintenance period. 2022 will be a busy
year for MANAWANUI as she implements training
at sea, including crane operations and Maritime
Explosive Ordnance Disposal training.

SYDNEYHMNZS TE KAHA
Snapped by Navy enthusiast Chris Sattler, HMNZSTE KAHA is looking sharp as she enters Sydney
Harbour on 15 November. The Australian stop wasnear the end of an Operation Crucible deploymentthat included joining the UK Carrier Strike Group andExercise Bersama Gold with the Five Power Defence
Arrangements partners in Singapore.

Navy Today #261|

13

HOMEPORTNAV Y
MOBILEAPP SAILSOFF WITH
INNOVATION
AWARD

From left, Scott Sargentina, Public
Affairs Manager – Navy; Grace Poole,
Navy Information Manager; Russell
Martin, Navy Portfolio Manager;
CAPT Shane Arndell, Assistant Chiefof Navy – Delivery.

HomePort, the mobile app designed
to give Royal New Zealand Navy
personnel immediate access to theadministrative information, processes
and regulations they need to know
for their role, has been awarded
New Zealand Defence ForceInnovation of the Year.
The app replicates the detailed
information contained in the Navy
Divisional Handbook and makes it
available as a downloadable app thatall personnel can access 24/7.
The idea for the app came from aworkshop three years ago whenproblems over access to important
administrative information were raised.
“The feedback that drove the project
was that no sailor is going to carryaround a weighty divisional handbook,”
said Russell Martin, Navy’s Portfolio
Manager. “Many junior sailors don’t
have regular internal online accessto find the information they need.
But they all have mobile phones andthey all use apps. This is where the
HomePort app idea was born.”
Now sailors can access almost
everything they need to know about
their Navy, when and where theyneed it. Resettlement assistance,
leave queries, financial advice, urgent

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Navy Today #261

contact details for base welfare
support, career guidance and even
how to tie a cap tally. HomePort also
allows for important notifications tobe transmitted direct to registeredusers, as well as displaying the Navy’s
Facebook page.
Only six months after launch of
HomePort, two-thirds of Navy
personnel have downloaded the app
and more are registering each week.
Further enhancements to the app areplanned to ensure that HomePort isconstantly evolving and providing thefunctionality and value that personnel
are looking for.
The Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral David
Proctor, has been a key supporter ofthe HomePort project from the startas he wanted to remove the hurdle ofsailors getting the information theyneeded. He was impressed that theidea for a Navy tool came from theNavy itself.
“Innovation doesn’t just come frominternational think tanks or idea
incubators. In HomePort’s case, it hascome from sailors who simply asked‘can we do better?’ Three years later,
and with a lot of effort from a lot of
people, we can say ‘yes we can andyes we have’. Receiving the NZDF
Innovation Award is testament to that.”

DO YOU WANT TO MAKE A TANGIBLE
CONTRIBUTION TO SHAPING THE FUTURE OF THE
NAV Y? TAKE ACTION NOW TO GUIDE THE NEXT
GENERATION OF TALENT INTO THE RANKSOur future workforce needs help
navigating the journey from civilian tosailor and Navy recruiters are at theforefront of our engagement. It’s arewarding job, adding tangible value
with a real sense of purpose. And
there is nothing like the feeling of pridein seeing your recruits graduate as
sailors in the Royal New Zealand Navy.
You’ll also directly influence yourtrade by raising awareness of theopportunities available and mentoringhigh quality recruits through theapplication process.

LIFE OF A NAVY RECRUITERYour day will be focused aroundachieving two objectives;• Attracting candidates• Processing candidates
Day-to-day your role will vary based on
which objective you are working on
Attracting candidates includes:• Conducting experience eventson bases, including Defence
Careers Experiences and Defence
Experience Days;• Visiting local high schools;• Attending careers expos and otherengagement events;“If you ever wanted arole, where you can
influence and your own
personal experience isvalued then recruiting
is it. An awesome
opportunity to
showcase your learned
skills and passions to
the next generation.”
LT Nathan Atkinson RNZN• Navy trade-specific engagement;• Career advice and guidance;• Anything that involves interactingwith the public.
• Processing candidates includes:• Supervising recruit fitness testing;• Conducting one-on-one interviews
with candidates;• Completing reports anddocumentation;

HOW DO I APPLY?
Required rank: PO or CPO
Application Process: Talk to yourcareer manager. Potential recruiters
are interviewed by our staff todetermine their suitability. You will be
required to work autonomously, handle
private information discreetly, andengage with young people in schools
and the community.
For enquiries into becoming a
recruiter, please email:W/O Carol Voshaar, Recruiting
Organisation Warrant Officer:
carol.voshaar@nzdf.mil.nz• Assisting future sailors through theapplication journey;

For those interested in upcoming
recruiting events, please email yourrespective Regional Recruiting Officer:• Providing one-on-one support torecruits for your trade.

Northern:
defencecareersnorthern@nzdf.mil.nz

WHY SHOULD I APPLY?

Central:defencecareerscentral@nzdf.mil.nz

The perks:• High degree of trust and freedom toachieve your objectives• Flexible work schedule• See tangible results for your efforts• Opportunities to engage with theNZ public outside of main centres• Working in a tri-service environment
The challenges:• Will need to work outside of
traditional work hours (someevenings and weekends) however,Southern:
defencecareerssouth@nzdf.mil.nz

NOT KEEN TO JUMP IN
FULL TIME?
You can represent your trade in yourlocal community by signing up to the
Recruiting Ambassador Programme(link located at the bottom of the ILP
Homepage).

• You will accrue time in lieu
• Fair amount of travel• You’ll be provided with a work
phone, laptop and vehicle and havea chance to see the country!

Navy Today #261 |15

SAILOR AWARDEDFOR EFFORTS TOWARDSINCLUSIVENESS
Commander Trevor
Leslie has been
awarded the NZDF’s
Peter Rule Inclusion
Award for 2021.
The annual award recognises
New Zealand Defence Forcepersonnel who have made apositive contribution to diversity
and inclusion in the workplace, and
CDR Leslie as Head of Trade for
the Royal New Zealand Navy DiveTeam impressed the judges with his
commitment to improving the culture
and gender diversity amongst the
RNZN Diving Trade.
As Head of Trade for the Navy Divers,
CDR Leslie instigated a programmefor divers built around Te Ao Māorithat aims to grow a positive, inclusiveand high performing culture for divers.

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Navy Today #261

One that values whanaungatanga(the building of relationships), ako(learning) and growing Te Reo Māori
capability and connection throughcreating diving-specific haka, waiata
and karakia.
CDR Leslie has also made efforts
to increase gender diversity within
the Navy divers. He championed amentoring programme for womeninterested in military diving, facilitatedthe commissioning of an academic
study to support female recruitment
and selection strategies, establisheddiving representation on the Gender
Advisory Board, and initiated projects
aimed at delivering more genderappropriate diving equipment andsystems utilising technology andlightweight composite solutions.
His leadership and advocacy is alreadyachieving results with the last RNZN
Defence Diver Couse (graduatingin June 2021) passing three female
students, which was 50 per cent of
the course. Through his mentorshipprogramme the Navy has received
several expressions of interest fromwomen across the NZDF wanting toundertake the next professional divertransfer course.
CDR Leslie has been in the Navysince 1986, qualifying as a Navy Diversoon after joining. Since then, diving,
explosive ordnance disposal and mineclearance has been the bulk of his
Navy career.
CDR Leslie is pleased to accept theaward, but says the success is not
his own.
“While I may have set the tone andconditions for a positive diversity
and inclusion culture, the successcan be attributed to all the personnel
within the RNZN Diving Trade whohave fully embraced the programmes
and initiatives and turned them into
positive action.”
The award honours a pilot whose
distinguished 20-year career wasended in 1975 because of his sexuality.

NAVY GRADUATE EARNS WINGSMILESTONE
TICKED
FOR NAVY
PILOT
There’s pride, there’s
excitement andthere’s an entire
future to look forward
to. But most of all, it’sa massive relief tograduate, says ournewest Navy pilot.
Ensign Andre Debenham, 22, fromChristchurch, was awarded his pilot’s
brevet at the graduation of the 20/01‘Wings’ Course at Ohakea last month.
He was among eight pilots graduating,including five Air Force and two Royal
Australian Navy pilots, from the Flying
Training Wing at Ohakea.
“It was a long 18 months,” says ENS
Debenham, “and it’s a massive relief
at the end of it. It was definitely oneof the hardest things I’ve ever done
– although I feel like anything I do
from now is probably going to be thehardest thing I’ve done.”

He’s earned his brevet on the T-6C
Texan II fixed-wing trainer, operated
by No. 14 Squadron. The ultimate
destination for a Navy pilot is the
Seasprite SH-2G(I) helicopter,
operated by No. 6 Squadron in
Whenuapai, so his next step is the
six-month conversion course to rotaryflight, on the Air Force’s A109.
ENS Debenham says he has always
aspired to be a military pilot since he
was young, when his late grandfather
took him to air shows at the nowretired Wigram Air Force Base. He
studied engineering at the Universityof Canterbury in 2018 before being
accepted as a pilot.
“I applied for both Navy and Air Force.
I was really keen to fly helicopters andI was open to either option. I got thejob offer from the Navy and thought,
let’s go.”Prior to the ‘Wings’ course, ENS
Debenham undertook the 22-week
Junior Officer Common Training(JOCT) course in Auckland. “I
did JOCT 19/02, just before thelockdowns. It was a real eye-opener
into Navy culture and a great
experience to be trained in Navyleadership.”He says the ‘Wings’ course is tough.
“You’re going to struggle at some point– we all struggled at different bits, but
we all had each other’s backs, andwe helped out as much as possible.
Camaraderie is really strong.”
His training has to take a short pause
as he takes his turn with Operation
Protect, the NZDF’s support to
the Managed Isolation Facilities in
New Zealand. He’s now doing a sixweek rotation as a Managed Isolation
Facility assistant at the M Social hotelin Auckland.
“There’s a while to go, but I’mlooking forward to getting out on
operations with No. 6 Squadron.
It will be really cool.”
If he was to give a pep talk at his old
school, Cashmere High, he would tellpeople it’s challenging. “You might
think, you aren’t good enough. But if
you want it enough, do your researchand give it 100 per cent. It’s worked forme so far.”Navy Today #261

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3

OUR
PEOPLE6

1. Sailors promoted and awarded
aboard HMNZS TE MANA. From left,
LSCS Tema Viliamu (promoted); ACSS
Renee Lawton (awarded her first Good
Conduct Badge); LSCS William Smart(awarded his third GCB); LCSS Epoki
Sakisi (awarded his second GCB).

7

2. SLT Shannen McErlain receives a
Commanding Officer’s commendationfrom CDR Alastair Howieson, HMNZSWAKEFIELD.
3. LT Maddy Win, HMNZSWELLINGTON’s Engineering Officer,
catches up on paperwork during
Operation Calypso.
4. RADM David Proctor, Chief of Navy,
with the Commanding Officer of visiting
US Navy destroyer USS HOWARD, CDR
Travis Montplaisir.
5. From left, ACWS Briar Miller(Scott Base Comms Op), LMED Max
Neustroski (Scott Base Comms Op) andALSS Jana Ebbett (McMurdo Logistics
General Assistant), deployed to Scott
Base as part of Operation Antarctica.

10

6. It’s early days for the Movember
moustache for trainee OMED
Matthew Shore, BCT 21/2.
7. MID Aaron Barron puts in the hard
work for Bellona Division during JOCT
21/2’s Efficiency Cup trial.
8. A/CDRE Shane Arndell, Deputy Chiefof Navy, stands with AM Kevin Short(right), Chief of Defence Force, following
A/CDRE Arndell’s promotion.
9. LSTD Daniel Hill sets the table in thewardroom of HMNZS WELLINGTON
during their Operation Calypso mission.
10. JOCT 21/2’s Bellona and Royalist
Divisions get ready to go head-to-headfor the honour of the Efficiency Cup.

1213

11. HMNZS TE KAHA’s Ship’s Company
form a ‘gumboot’ on the flight deckin support of Gumboot Friday, acharitable trust that helps support
young New Zealanders with depression.
The crew raised $2,429.14, topped
up by the Ship’s Welfare Committee
to reach $6,000 donated.
12. CPOLSS Ben Owens, HMNZS TEMANA, receives a Commanding Officer’scommendation from CDR Mike Peebles
for “ongoing outstanding work” during
the ship’s Frigate Systems Upgrade.
13. POSCS Thomas Katu entertains
his shipmates in his messdeck
in HMNZS WELLINGTON.

Navy Today #261 |19When a Navy
vessel crosses
the Equator, it can
prompt a ‘Crossing
the Line’ ceremony,a lively Navy
initiation not often
photographed.
LWT Isaac InwoodReardon gives us
an insight during
HMNZS TE KAHA’s
deployment inSouth East Asia.

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CROSSING THE LINE IN PICTURES

Navy Today #261 |21

The honour of crossing the equator,and being inducted into the realm ofKing Neptune and forever labelled atrusty ‘Shellback’, is not given lightly
to ‘Tadpoles’ – those who have never
had the honour.
And so, on the morning HMNZSTE KAHA crossed the Equator during
her Operation Crucible deployment,
King Neptune – and his assistant,
Davy Jones – held court in his throneon the flight deck while his ‘Bears’rounded up the Tadpoles summoned
to appear and be initiated.
Usually the Tadpoles are facing aserious charge – presuming to crossthe line without seeking the consent
of King Neptune. The speeches are
grandiose, the costumes and props
are elaborate, and the rituals of thelively and rough ceremony are steepedin history. The Tadpoles are expected
to be reluctantly hauled before thecourt, endure various indignities suchas being covered in muck, hosed
down and made to lie prostate before
the King, before being dunked in salt
water – the final baptism into theAncient Order of the Deep.

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Navy Today #261

The event is designed as a break inroutine and a hilarious morning ofenjoyment and levity.
A Golden Shellback is a sailor who
has crossed the equator where it
intersects with the International
Date Line in the Pacific Ocean. Last
year the Ship’s Company of HMNZSMANAWANUI earned the honour
during their deployment to Rim of the
Pacific Exercise in Hawaii. Even rarer
is an Emerald Shellback, a sailor who
crossed the equator at the Prime
Meridian in the Gulf of Guinea nearwest Africa.
LWT Inwood-Reardon, alreadyinitiated to the Order of Shellbacks,
was able to document the event,taking over 400 photographs.
“Crossing the line ceremonies are notusually documented, and when they
are, there are very few photos of theevent taken or released. So to havethis many photos vetted and released
to the Ship’s Company is not common.
The photos were well received!”

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

‘WELLNESS’SUPPORTER NAMED
DEFENCE VOLUNTEEROF THE YEAR
An Auckland naval reservist who
developed a charity dedicated to thetrauma of first responders has beenchosen as the New Zealand Defence
Force Volunteer of the Year.

Able Musician Rebecca Nelson, whojoined the Royal New Zealand Navy
Volunteer Reserve as a part-time
vocalist in 2014, has created Te Kiwi
Māia (The Courageous Kiwi).
Its objective is to provide rehabilitation,
recovery and respite to New Zealand
Defence Force personnel and first
responders, who – as a result of theirrole in safeguarding and caring for
New Zealanders – have physical or
psychological injuries.
AMUS Nelson has a close friend who
suffered from depression after being
medically discharged from the Royal
Marines due to a back injury. Herfriend’s journey to recovery involved
the British charitable organisation Helpfor Heroes, which has inspired AMUS
Nelson to create a similar charity in
New Zealand.
Over two years AMUS Nelson has
built relationships and connections
within the first responder community,
resulting in the first “Wellness
Workshop” last year. The charity’s
goal is to have their own facility where
people in need of their services cantake time to recover.

A recent boost for the charity
came from former All Black Sir
Buck Shelford, competing in the
TV programme Celebrity Treasure
Island. Shelford, a former Navy sailor,pledged his winnings from the show to
Te Kiwi Māia.
AMUS Nelson, who is attached toReserve Unit HMNZS NGAPONA,
says she still hasn’t taken in the newsof winning the NZDF award properly.
“You don’t always get thanked asa volunteer, so it’s wonderful to beacknowledged.” She is aware of
how many people – Defence Force,veterans and first responders – would
potentially have need of the charity;
it’s something she carries with her as
she works.

“I’m still singing at events, but that’s
currently on hold right now becauseof COVID. The Te Kiwi Māia work isgetting so much bigger, and there’s
so many people involved. There’s anamazing advisory board, helping withthe growth and decision-making,and we wouldn’t be able to do what
we do without them. I don’t see
the success of Te Kiwi Maia as agoal in its own right – it’s about themutual success of all organisations
in ensuring the wellbeing of all those
who put themselves at risk for other
New Zealanders.”
She isn’t able to share future plans atpresent, but says 2022 will be a “huge”
year for Te Kiwi Māia.

Her other charity work this year
included being a committee member
at the Devonport RSA, a Poppy
Appeal ambassador, and the ongoing
restoration of over 130 headstonesof service personnel at the O’Neill’s
Point Cemetery in Devonport – initiallyon her own, but now with support
from the Navy and Sea Cadets. In herclassical singing profession, she hasrecorded three albums, performed thenational anthem at All Black matches
and has frequently sung for residents
at retirement villages.

Navy Today #261 |23

H M N Z S

E N D E A V O U RI“That image brings backmemories,” says Bob Pinker,
former crewman of netlayer
HMNZS ENDEAVOUR (I), theRoyal New Zealand Navy’s first
Antarctic supply vessel.

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OUR HISTORYH M N Z S

E N D E A V O U RIWhen HMNZS AOTEAROA heads to Antarctica
next year, it will be the first visit and resupply to
McMurdo by an RNZN ship in over fifty years. Editor
Andrew Bonallack talks to former crewmen about
the first missions to Antarctica in the late fifties.
He’s looking at the image opposite,taken in the beginning of 1958 near
Cape Evans, Antarctica. “In the bow,facing aft, is Able Seaman EA ‘Tag’
Wilson, while on the left rowing is
Chief Joiner E Voison.” He recognizes
Able Seaman Brian ‘Brushes’ Nolanon the oars on the right, notable forbeing the youngest RNZN seaman
to serve in the Korean War at age 16.
The closest person to the camera isAble Seaman Ray Tito. A year earlier,
A/B Tito had hoisted the flag at the
new Scott Base, built to support
New Zealand’s participation in the
Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic
Expedition of 1957–1958, the overlandcrossing of the continent by British
explorer Vivian Fuchs with Sir
Edmund Hillary in support.

components for Scott Base, which
the ENDEAVOUR crew helped build.
In the 1957/58 season, Hillary used
the tractors to create supply depots
between Scott Base and the Polefor Fuchs’ transcontinental journeyfrom the opposite side of Antarctica(Hillary famously decided to continue
on and reach the Pole before Fuchs).
Mr Pinker ultimately did nine trips
to Antarctica in his Navy career.
In 1956 he remembers boarding
ENDEAVOUR in Bluff in December,with 18 dogs and a load of mutton
for dog food. He says ENDEAVOUR
had stopped at Wellington, Lyttelton,
Dunedin, apparently fundraising for
the Expedition on the way downfrom Devonport. “We had about 50
fruitcakes donated from a local highschool, and schoolgirls were knitting
us gloves and scarves to take withus.” Mr Pinker had obtained a 16mm
projection licence, in order for him toshow movies on the trip down.
“We didn’t celebrate Christmas until
29 December, when the ship stopped
in the ice. I’ve got a picture of Hillary
sitting on the ice next to the shipeating Christmas dinner.”In the picture, the crew are on their
way to Scott’s Hutt at Cape Evansto screw a brass plaque to the hut.
“I’m in the boat somewhere. I had a
special drill the Navy gave me, andI wouldn’t lend it to Voison.”This was during EM1 Pinker’s
second trip to Antarctica, on board
ENDEAVOUR I, also the ship’s second
mission to the continent (1957/58).
The wooden-hulled ship had beenpurchased and commissioned totransport and support the Expedition
and a year earlier (1956/57) had
transported Sir Edmund Hillary andhis team, Hillary’s Massey tractors,
two aircraft, dog teams and the

He remarks that the White Ensign
they sailed under was a different one
than today (the Navy Ensign changed
from the Royal Navy White Ensign
to the New Zealand version in 1968).
“I remember the crow’s nest often
was in a ball of strange colours theycalled St Elmo’s Fire.”
His nine trips including missions inthe second HMNZS ENDEAVOUR,
the former USS NAMAKAGON(AOG-53) that he helped deliver fromthe United States to New Zealand in
1962. He says in January 1957 the
USS NESPELEN (AOG-55), a sister
ship to the NAMAKAGON, berthedalongside them in McMurdo Sound,and he reckons that inspired thepurchase.
“ENDEAVOUR I was very
comfortable,” he says. “She was adiesel electric ship and a woodenship, she wasn’t cold like a steel ship.
She made very little water, and thegalley got most of it. There’s no waterin Antarctica. It took a gallon of diesel
to make a gallon of water. But we had
plenty of beer – Leopard lager.”
Mr Pinker had received training indiesel electric engines in Australia, at
a time when the usual propulsion was
steam turbine. It made him valuable
for both ENDEAVOUR I and II.
There are a variety of stories ofclashes between Sir Edmund and theship’s Commanding Officer, Captain
Harry Kirkwood RN. “I remember
Hillary wanted to send messages out
without the Captain’s approval and the
Captain said, there’s only one captainon this ship. Get down below.”This acrimony is something Ann
Nolan, Brian’s widow, remembers
from her husband’s stories.

Above: HMNZS ENDEAVOUR I stops for
Christmas. Sir Edmund Hillary is in thedark blue on the left eating Christmas
lunch. Photo supplied by Bob Pinker.

Navy Today #261 |25

H M N Z S

E N D E A V O U R“What Captain Kirkwood said waslaw,” says Mrs Nolan. “He was acleanliness fanatic which was a goodthing on a ship but that is where
Hillary and Kirkwood’s friendshipcame to grief. Hillary was not used
to such a regime of cleanliness andKirkwood’s rules were “my ship, myrules, like it or leave” and everyone
accepted that except Hillary.
“Captain Kirkwood loved the ship as
he had captained it when it belonged
to the Falklands Dependency andcalled the JOHN BISCOE. He wasa real English gentleman and thecrew referred to him as “my father”.
He was such a nice man and kept intouch with Brian and I after he retired
in England. He used to say that hewould sail anywhere in the world onthat ship.”A classmate of Mr Pinker’s, LME
Mervyn Tyree, was also among thedelivery crew for ENDEAVOUR II, andthinks he and Bob are the only twoof that crew left alive. He also notes
they are the only two people left who
have stood on the decks on all three
ENDEAVOURs, thanks to the pairbeing invited to the decommissioningof fleet tanker ENDEAVOUR III (which
never went to Antarctica) in 2017.

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Navy Today #261

I

He remembers ‘bad years’ when theice was so bad the ships couldn’t
get into McMurdo. “Everything would
have to be offloaded, to go into
sledges towed by tractors. It could be
11 miles.” The second ENDEAVOUR
was a huge improvement, he says,
but it wasn’t really designed for theice. “After one mission, you could see
the ice had pushed in the hull against
the ribs, all the way along.”
Another former sailor, Geoffrey
Bourke, was a junior watchkeeper
in ENDEAVOUR I for the 1958/59
mission to Antarctica. He served in
the Navy from 1951 to 1985, finishing
as a Commander. He’s not so surethe ship was that comfortable. “We
had bunks, but the sailors used totake their hammocks because it wasmore comfortable. She had a roundbottom and would roll.”

From top: HMNZS ENDEAVOUR
in Antarctica; Ice building up on
ENDEAVOUR I (1958); Sled dogs on thedeck of ENDEAVOUR I, 1958.

OUR HISTORYH M N Z S

E N D E A V O U RIThe crew would be acclimatised
to the cold by the time they got toMcMurdo. “The ship wasn’t airconditioned or any nonsense likethat. It could be beautiful outside if
the wind wasn’t blowing. You could
be wearing a pair of shorts withheavy boots and socks, playing
soccer. The penguins would comeup to you, because they hadn’t seen
a human before.”
When they reached McMurdo, theywould come alongside the ice. “Thetrucks would come alongside, thestores people would unload all the
stuff, and the trucks would drive backto McMurdo. It was a chain gang oftrucks, going around and around until
the ship left.”
Two things struck him about thecontinent. “Mt Erebus, which looked
like a hill but was higher than Mt
Cook. And there’s nothing red. It
takes a while for you to notice that.
That’s why an orange snowcat stands
out for miles and miles.”
ENDEAVOUR paid off on 7 November
1961 and was sold to Shaw Steam
Ship Co. in Canada the following year.
Renamed ARCTIC ENDEAVOUR,
she was used for sealing in the
Arctic until she sank at her mooringsin November 1982 and was
broken up in 1983. ENDEAVOUR II
decommissioned in 1971.

From top: The crew photograph
Emperor penguins (1958); British
explorer Vivian Fuchs’ Tucker
6.5-tonne Sno-cats are loaded onto
ENDEAVOUR I, not long after the
successful overland crossing of
Antarctica (completed 2 March 1958).

Navy Today #261 |27

80 YEARS AGO
New Zealand’s worst naval tragedy
On the morning of
19 December 1941,
Royal Navy cruiser
HMS NEPTUNE
struck four enemy
mines and sankoff Libya. Seven
hundred and sixty
four men lost theirlives, including 150
New Zealanders.

Colleen Appleton, the niece of Able
Seaman Norman Cook RNZNVR,
is a regular attendee of the Naval
Memorial Service for HMS NEPTUNEat Devonport Naval Base.
“My uncle Norman Cook served with
the RNZNVR in Wellington, leaving
New Zealand on 2 May 1940 on
the troopship RMS AQUITANIA to
Scotland, leaving behind his pregnant
wife Mollie who gave birth to his son
William Henry who was born on 19
June 1940 – six weeks after Normansailed from NZ.”
In early 1941, New Zealand answered
the British Admiralty’s call for more
sailors. NEPTUNE was approved asa New Zealand-crewed vessel, in themanner of HM Ships ACHILLES andLEANDER, but she was reassigned
to the 7th Cruiser Squadron in the
Mediterranean, attached to Force K
in Malta.
Thirty kilometres off Tripoli, Force K
sailed into an uncharted deep-water
minefield. HMS NEPTUNE struck threemines and sank within minutes ofstriking the fourth.
AS Cook was 23 years old.

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Navy Today #261

MEDALLIC RECOGNITIONFOR SOUTH EAST ASIA
Ex-Navy personnel
who undertook
service in defenceof South East Asia
from February 1959
to January 1974 cannow benefit from aneligibility extension
for the New ZealandOperational Service
Medal (NZOSM).

The NZOSM was instituted in 2002,
for operational service since the endof the Second World War.
From 1959, the New Zealand Defence
Force committed an infantry battalion,
one or two RNZAF squadrons andone or more RNZN frigates or cruisersin Malaya/Malaysia or Singapore
as part of the Commonwealth Far
East Strategic Reserve (FESR) and
New Zealand’s ‘Forward Defence’policy – in effect a strategy to keep
communism as far from New Zealandas possible. The major focus was thethreat of limited war with China thatwould impact on South East Asia.
RNZN ships spent about six to ninemonths at a time in a wide range oflocations in South East Asia, while
homeported at Sembawang Naval
Base in Singapore.
There was also an ongoing
communist terrorist insurgency in
Malaysia, a fraught relationship withIndonesia which resulted in conflict,
and war in Vietnam.
In 1971 the FESR was scaled down
to the Australia New Zealand United
Kingdom Force (ANZUK), which ran
until 31 January 1974 and included afrigate deployed to South East Asia for
periods of three to six months.

ANZUK was then replaced by
New Zealand Force South East Asia
(NZFORSEA) from 31 January 1974,
with forces based in South East Asia
but in a non-operational role. Fromearly 1975, there was no longer acontinuous RNZN warship presencein South East Asia. NZFORSEA wasbased in Singapore until its withdrawal
in 1989.
Following a review this year, Ministerof Defence Peeni Henare says theextended eligibility “recognises thevaluable contribution to the defenceof South East Asia by veterans who
served in Malaysia and Singapore, butwere previously excluded as they were
not required to deploy into combat
theatres, such as Borneo or Vietnam”.
An eligible veteran must have beenposted or attached for seven or moredays with FESR, ANZUK or associatedunits during the dates specified.
Service in NZFORSEA (1974-89)
remains ineligible under the reviewed
criteria.
It is estimated around 4,500 veterans
will be able to apply.

For an application form, go to
www.nzdf.mil.nz/pam

Navy Today #261 |

29

Our
Rūnanga
Te Taua Moana Marae
Ko Uika te maunga,
Ko Ngā awa e rua te awa,
Ko Te Kurae a Tura te whenua,
Ko Te Taua Moana te Marae,
Ko Iwi Heramana te iwi
North Head is the mountain,Ngā Awa e rua is the sacred river,
The headlands of Tura is thesacred land,
Te Taua Moana marae is the
RNZN spiritual refuge,
The sailors are the people

Te Rūnanga o
Te Taua Moana
Marae (assemblyor council)
The role of Te Rūnanga
is to act as a servant andrepresentative of Iwi Hēramana
for promoting the spiritual,cultural, social and economic
development of the Iwi.
Te Rūnanga is the guardian(kaitiaki) of the Navy’s tikanga.
Te Rūnanga will monitor tikanga
at Te Taua Moana Marae andofficial Navy activities, andwill ensure that the tikanga of
Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa isfollowed at all times.

Elected Rūnanga Members
CO-CHAIR
Commodore Melissa Ross
CDRE Ross, of Ngāpuhi descent, isthe first woman in New Zealand naval
history to achieve Commodore rank andthe first woman to be posted as Deputy
Chief of Navy.
She grew up in Kawerau and trained inmechanical engineering at Christchurch
Polytechnic, while also representing
New Zealand in volleyball. Two years
in, her sister-in-law serving in the Navy,suggested the Navy as a career. She
joined the Navy in 1993 as a Marine
Engineer Officer and was one of the first
women to serve in frigates.
Her promotion to Commodore took
place at Te Taua Moana marae in
December 2019.
This month she has taken up a six-monthappointment as Joint Head of Managed
Isolation and Quarantine, taking overfrom Brigadier Rose King.
CO-CHAIR
Lieutenant Commander Josh
Aperahama (elected)
Ki Rangi, Ki Papa, Ki uta, ki tai,
Ka eke ki nga waka o te motu,
Ko Te Iwi Heramana e ara e!
He uri tenei o nga waka Takitimu raua ko
Ngatokimatawhaorua, Tipu ake au i tepapakainga o Ahuriri, engari ka au ki temana whenua o Heretaunga, ki Omahu.
17 nga tau ahua i roto i te Taua Moana,
i timata au he kaipukaha pukenga.
A, i huri ahau hei opiha kaipukaha.
I taku wa i roto i te weruweru Taua
Moana, eke ahau ki nga waka Kahu,
ratou ko Manawanui, Te Kaha,
Canterbury, Te Mana, Otago.
I whakawatea e au te Taua Moana i tetimatanga o tenei tau, eke ai ki te taumata
LTCDR. Kua piria tenei ki Ngapona hei
whakaputanga.

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Navy Today #261

He kaimahi ahua o Babcock i te herenga
waka o Tamaki inaianei, Ko taku hianga
hei tautoko i te iwi heramana i roto i te
runaga, ko taku moemoea kia kitea he
Aotearoa e mawhitiwhiti ana nga ao e rua,
nga reo e rua, hei tautoko tenei kaupapa,
kei te timata ahau hei kaiarahi mote hinonga tarai waka taua mo te iwi
heramana, mo Aotearoa.
Kia koutou eke nagaru ai; tu maia ma
runga waka, wehikore ma runga papa
pounamu o Tangaroa.
To our creators, Rangi and Papatuanuku,
To the land and sea,
We board our waka from across thenation, Arise, Te Iwi Heremana!!
I am a descendant of the Takitimu andNgatokimatawhaorua waka and grew
up in Napier with whakapapa to Omahu
Marae in Hastings.
After 17 years in the Navy, joining as a
Marine Technician, I left earlier thisyear as an Engineering Officer in therank of LTCDR.
During that time I served in
HMNZ Ships KAHU, MANAWANUI,TE KAHA, CANTERBURY, TE MANA,
and OTAGO.
Today, I am a Reservist with HMNZSNGAPONA and work for Babcock at the
Devonport Naval Base as the Fleet andAsset Program Manager.
My desire is to support the rūnanga andour sailors to realise a shared vision for
Aotearoa, opening opportunities for all in
Te Ao Māori, language and cultures.
Initially I will focus in areas for the linkingof our Marae to our people through someof the upcoming projects.
To those on the seas, stay strong, ever
fearless, and I wish you smooth seas.

Assistant Chief of Navy
(Personnel and Training)
Captain Jon Beadsmoore
CAPT Beadsmoore, of Royal Navy
origins, moved to New Zealand in 2005.
He has been the Commanding Officer
of HMNZS TE KAHA and Capability
Manager for the Frigate Systems
Upgrade. Other posts have included
Commander Directorate of Sea Powerand Warfare, the Maritime Component
Commander’s Executive officer andChief Staff Officer Operations to the
Joint Forces Commander.
Māori Cultural Adviser
Warrant Officer Te Kani Te Wiata
Ko Tainui, Ko Te Arawa ngā Waka,
Ko Taupiri, Ko Ruawahia ngā Maunga,
Ko Waikato, Ko Tarawera ngā Awa,
Ko Waikato, Ko Ngāti Rangitihi ngā Iwi,
Ko Tūrangawaewae, Ko Rangitihi ngāMarae, Ko Te Kani Te Wiata ahau
I joined the RNZN in Jan 1979 in the
Weapon Engineering Branch and am
currently serving as the Māori Cultural
Adviser to the Chief of Navy. I have beenin the role for the last six years.
I have been involved with the Marae
since the opening on 15 April 2000 and
the Rūnanga pre-opening with breaks
when I was deployed to sea-going Units.
Māori Cultural Education Officer
Mark Simpkins
Mr Simpkin’s iwi is Te Arawa. He hasserved 27 years in the Navy, finishing asa Chief Petty Officer Diver. He has been
the Māori Cultural Education Officer foreight years. Mr Simpkins has been on the
Marae staff from 2003 to 2007, and has
been a rūnanga member since 2000.
Warrant Officer
Bernie Reihana
Ko Pukeone me Tu Ao Wharepapangā maunga,
Ko Motueka te awa,
Ko Ngati Rarua me Ngati Tama me,
Te Atiawa ngā iwi,
Ko Te Awhina te marae,
Ko Bernie Reihana ahau
Tenā koutou
I hail from the southern slopes of
Taranaki Maunga and was raised on ourwhānau marae Aotearoa in Okaiawa
before eventually moving into town
(Hawera) at an early age.

I departed the RNZN in March 2020
having served a short lifetime as a
Hydrographic Survey Technician andattaining the rank of Warrant Officer.
I am currently a serving Reservist in
HMNZS OLPHERT, I continue to support
our Te Taua Moana whānau and thedevelopment of cultural awarenessacross our VR sector.
My current role is Kaitohutohu Māori
in the National Road Policing Centre in
Police National Headquarters Wellington,a non-sworn civilian position maintaining
positive connections with our iwi Māori
across the motu.
Having been part of the marae since
its establishment – I am most happy
to continue to contribute to thedevelopment for our turangawaewae –“he heremana ahau”.
Commander Wiremu Leef
Iwi affiliation: Ngapuhi, Te Rarawa
I joined in 1991 as Midshipman,
serving for 22 years until leaving asa Commander. I rejoined in August2020 to assume command of HMNZSMATATAUA, my current role. I restarted
my Te Reo journey this year and hoping
to complete L1 & 2 soon, have renewed
my whanaungatanga with the Marae
as part of this journey. I have beenprivileged to have been allowed to mihi
a few times on the Marae over the last
several months as part of my ako.

Petty Officer Physical Training
Instructor Te Teira Maxwell
He uri teenei o ngaa hapu katoa o
Ngati Rangiwewehi.
I was fortunate to be brought up in
Te Awahou, just 300 metres from my
Marae. On our Papa Kainga we had fourhouses, my Nan, koro and the oldest
mokopuna lived in one and three of mygrandparents’ children (and their kids)
lived in the other three. We would spend
our days on our bikes swimming at theriver and playing at the marae with all ourother cousins. So when I joined the Navyand was introduced to Te Taua Moana
Marae, just like a whole lot of people thathave a strong upbringing in Te Ao Māori
who first join the Navy I thought “I don’t
want anything to do with this Marae”.
I joined the Navy in 2009 as an OCSSand changed over to be a PTI in 2014.
I am working at LTS facilitating theleadership framework to our future
leaders. As a recent member of the
Rūnanga I spend as much time as I
possibly can to support kaupapa at
Te Taua Moana Marae. LDG sees every
uniformed member of the Navy comethrough the gates and I am fortunate
to be able to speak or assist those thatspeak at the powhiri when they join.
I was also a part of the 21st birthday
for Te Taua Moana Marae and with thehelp of the other PTIs in the Navy weorganised the Pa (whutuporo) Wars.
George McGarvey

Chief Petty Officer
David Tapene
Iwi affliations: Te Rarawa, Ngāti Hine,
Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Porou
I have served in the RNZN for 20 years.
My current roles is Kaiwhakahaere(Operations Manager) Defcommsta
Devonport. I have been involved with
Kapa Haka at the marae and I will take up
the marae manager position in 2022.
Lieutenant Korin O’BrienKo Hori Taranaki McGarvey toku ingoa
Ko Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao,
Te Arawa toku waka.
I joined the RNZN in January 1972,leaving in 1992 as a Chief Petty Officer
Seaman. I rejoined in 1997 as a CPOS
to take on the position as the Marae
Projects Office, to build the marae. Soon
after the official opening in April 2000
my title became RNZN Marae Manager.
I left the RNZN in 2002 and I am
currently working at Tai Wananga Kura
as Director of Operations and Finance.

Iwi affiliation: Ngāti Porou
I have served for 23 years, as aformer Chief Petty Officer and now
commissioned (late 2019). My current
role is Directing Staff at the Officer
Training School. At the marae, I am aformer marae co-ordinator and the firstfemale Marae Manager.

I attended secondary school in Auckland
and Wellington but returned to Hawera
at every opportunity. Not so much thesedays (which is a shame) but principally –Taranaki is home for me.

Navy Today #261|

31

Crossed the Bar

Captain (Rtd) Cornelia (Corry)
Beentjes, WRNZNS, RNZN
Died 29 September.
Corry Beentjes, the first female
Captain in the RNZN, servedin the Navy for a combined 32
years between 13 April 1970 and
19 May 2002. She initially joined
the Women’s Royal New Zealand
Naval Service (WRNZNS) as a
Wren Stores Accountant. When
the WRNZNS was disestablishedin 1977 she commissioned
as an Ensign into the RNZN,
finally retiring as a Captain on
20 May 2002. A strong leader,
she inspired many women tofollow in her footsteps. She wasinstrumental in developing thelogistics and supply chain in the
NZDF and during her work in
the early days of the Anzac Ship
Project in Canberra.
Okioki i roto I te rangimariewahine nui

Neil Harton
Neil Harton died on 29 October,aged 104. He joined the RNZNVR
and rose to the rank of Lieutenant,serving as a motor torpedo boat
commander in the 55th MTB flotilladuring the D-Day landings at
Normandy. MTBs were assigned
to protect the minesweepers

32|

Navy Today #261

clearing a path for the invasion
fleet. He was awarded the French
Legion of Honour in 2014. Heserved for over four years during
World War II and expected tocontinue service in the Pacific,
but with a scar on his lungs andseverely underweight, he returned
to New Zealand. He recovered
and then worked in accountancy
until he retired in 1977. His memoir,
Temporary Acting GentlemanSeaman, can be found at
Alexander Turnbull Library.
(Adapted from an obituary from theChartered Accountants Australia and
New Zealand)

Brian BreenHMNZS LEANDER and Battleof Kolombangara veteran Brian
Breen died in September, aged
96. He joined the Navy aged 16 in
1942 and had his first sea postingin LEANDER the following year.
He was on board when a torpedo
struck LEANDER on 13 July, andremembers wondering if they
were going to stay afloat. 28 men
lost their lives that night. The ship
managed to limp to Tulagi for
repairs. Brian later joined HMNZSACHILLES during the landing on
Okinawa and finished his service
in mineweeper HMNZS ARABIS
sweeping for German mines off
the Mercury Islands. In civilian
life he was a teacher, retiring as
deputy principal. His grandson,
Matthew Breen, is a Marine
Technician in the Navy.

Elisabeth Susan (Sue) Commons(nee Morris)
Sue Commons died 21 October,aged 84, in Surrey, England.
Sue Morris (Commons) was
the first direct entry officer tobecome Director, WRNZNS,
and she was the only person
not born in New Zealand to holdthe appointment. Originally fromEngland’s Isle of Wight, Suecame to New Zealand as a girl.
She joined the WRNZNS at the
beginning of 1958 and became
Assistant Secretary to the
Commanding Officer of HMNZSPHILOMEL. An appointment toNavy Office followed as Wrens
Unit Officer, HMNZS WAKEFIELD,
a task which included working in
the Director of Manning’s office.
Third Officer Morris returned
to Auckland in 1961 to become
Quarters Officer at Elizabeth
House. Promoted to Second
Officer the following year, Suebecame Wrens Unit Officer andSuperintendent, WRNZNS on thestaff of the Commodore, Auckland.
She held this appointment forfive years and then returned to
Wellington, where she succeededFirst Officer Maureen MacNab as
Director. Like her predecessor,
Sue married while holding the top
post in the WRNZNS so it was
as First Officer Commons that
she retired from the WRNZNS in
October 1970.
(Biography adapted fromGrant Howard, Happy in theService: An Illustrated History of
the Women’s Royal New Zealand
Naval Service 1942-1977, p.94)

CROSSED THE BAR

Nigel Foster
Nigel Foster, who retired as a Petty
Officer Radio Mechanic, died on
1 September, and is particularly
remembered for a Navy Today
story about his Identity Card, lostwhen he was a Junior Electrician
recruit in HMNZS OTAGO, Pearl
Harbor, in 1968. The card was
discovered by a dredger in 2018
and an image was posted on
Navy social media in attempt tofind its owner. The post went viral,
remaining to this day the mostsuccessful Navy Facebook post atover 24,000 shares.

travelled to the United Kingdom
as Special Entry Cadets to train
at Dartmouth Naval College. Asa midshipman, he later served in
the Eastern Fleet for 20 months
and returned to England for moretraining, then as a Sub Lieutenantposted to a destroyer in supportof post D-Day operations. As afull Lieutenant he saw service
as a watchkeeper in HMNZSACHILLES in Japan, then returned
to England to qualify as a
Lieutenant Gunnery specialist. He
finished his service in 1951, having
served in HMNZ Ships TAUPO
and BELLONA.

John Vincent Thomson
John Thomson, BEM was, at thetime of his death on 7 October,believed to be the last survivorof the Battle of the River Plate in1939, serving in HMS ACHILLES
against German ‘pocket battleship’
GRAF SPEE.

John Armstrong
On 10 November World War II
veteran John Armstrong died,aged 97. He joined the Navyat what was a turning point for
the New Zealand Naval Forces– the question of entering
New Zealand candidates fortraining (in England) and service
as commissioned officers,
detailed in the Naval Report to
31 March 1939 as under “carefulconsideration”. The scheme
was approved in the financial
year ending 31 March 1940 andannounced later in the year.
With the change of name fromNZ Division of the Royal Navy to“Royal New Zealand Navy” on 1
October 1941, LT Armstrong waspart of the first ever selection of
officer cadets for the RNZN when
he joined in November.
One week shy of his 18th birthday,
he and other officer cadets

In a letter to Navy Today in 2015,
he described how much heenjoyed the 75th anniversary of thebattle, informing the Chief of Navy
he would return for the 80th.
Born in 1922, he joined the Navyon 10 October 1938 as a Seaman
Boy Second Class on one
shilling per week. He served in
ACHILLES, GAMBIA, BELLONA,
BLACK PRINCE, HAWEA,ROTOITI, TAUPO and shore
establishments TAMAKI, IRIRANGIand PHILOMEL. He was awarded
the British Empire Medal in 1959.
After retiring from the permanent
forces as a Warrant Officer
Master At Arms, he spent several
years mentoring young membersof the Navy Cadets. He eventuallyretired in 1975. According to his
family, he often said his greatest
lesson from his time in service
was to accept and respect theauthority of more senior officers.
“It created great humility andremoved any status or ego.”

Honorary Captain Dame
Catherine Tizard
The Royal New Zealand Navy
acknowledged the passingof former Auckland Mayorand Governor General Dame
Catherine Tizard, on 31 October.
Chief of Naval Staff Rear Admiral(Rtd) Fred Wilson appointed Dame
Catherine an Honorary Captainon 2 October 1998, along with her
husband Bob Tizard, Minister ofDefence during the Anzac Frigate
project. “She had been a great
supporter of the Navy, both as
Mayor and GG, attending many
functions and events in thosecapacities,” said RADM Wilson.
“She never failed to engage
with everyone present, from thebottom to the top, and was agreat role model in demonstrating
determination and achievement.
And to top it all off, she had agreat sense of humour, that left
all around her both relaxed andwarm in her presence.” RADM
Wilson reinstated the practiceof Honorary Captains and the
Tizards were among the firstrecipients.

Richard (Dick) Rigarlsford
World War II veteran Dick
Rigarlsford, who died on 14 August
aged 98, trained with just thesecond training class at HMNZSTAMAKI. He served with HMNZSACHILLES from August 1941 tolate 1943. The ship was damaged
during fighting at Guadalcanal,and during its refit in England
Dick trained as a torpedoman.
He posted to HMNZS GAMBIA
for South Atlantic convoys, thenfought against the Japanese in
the Far East. He was discharged
due to illness in October 1945.

Navy Today #261 |33

RECORDBREAKING
BEEP TEST
A junior sailor has
broken the Navyrecord for the MultiStage Fitness Test
– and he may haveequalled the world
record as well.
Ordinary Electronic Technician Marek
Schirnack, who joined the Navy lastyear from Wairoa, has scored 17.1 in
the MSFT, popularly known as the‘beep test’. Within a 20-metre area,a person runs back and forth, timed
to a rhythmic beep. It starts slow, but
the speed increases between half akilometre per hour to one kilometre
per hour at each level.
The test must be passed to bequalified ‘Fit For Operational Service’,and to give you an idea of the scaleof his achievement, a sailor of OET
Schirnack’s age would normally only
need to attain Level 7.1 for a standard
pass, or 10.04 for a first class pass.
It’s the first level 17 run recorded in
the Navy’s history. He now features on
www.topendsports.com, which details
the “World Best Beep Test Scores”. Hesits first-equal with former Australian
Rules player Jose Romero and justahead of famous UK middle distancerunner Sebastian Coe.
OET Schirnack has previously broken
records, including the record recruitscore for the MSFT and the fastest
time last year in the Navy cross-34| Navy Today #261

country. He has a long legacy of
athleticism, playing for Wairoa Athletic
Rugby Football Club for several
years. But he says this particular
record required months of dedication
and advice, in between studies
for his trade and his seamanshipqualification courses.
“I had to experiment with a few
different training methods, and spent
a lot time at the drawing board with
my Dad, Jason Schirnack, who
unofficially is my coach, and Petty
Officer Physical Training Instructor
Texas Ngarongo-Porima. We focusedon areas for improvement suchas turning, acceleration and drivefrom the line and also focused onstrengthening my frame to handle
the stop-start nature of the test. In
all honesty it was a lot of very ugly
repetition, and I had to spend a lotof time in uncomfortable zones to
get the growth required to break therecord.”The support he received made a huge
difference. “My partner, Ordinary
Logistics Supply Specialist Teresa
Clair, and my family are both extremely
supportive of my sporting endeavours.
POPTI Ngarongo-Porima has always
been there to talk and give up his time
for me if I ever felt down about how
training had gone. I also had a hugeamount of support from within mytrade, especially from the senior staff
at the Weapon Engineering School.”He says he was “humbled” to get
the record. “Rather than seeing it asa chore, I tried to find enjoyment ingetting into that comfortable state,knowing it was having huge benefits.”

He says joining the Navy has given
him a hunger to push the standard
higher where sports and records areconcerned. “I am a lot more goaloriented now. The Navy has instilled
a pride within me to make the mostof opportunities, and to bring pride to
Wairoa and show other young people
it can be done. Wairoa sometimes gets
flack in the media, and the pathways
for young people aren’t always there.
That’s what makes success fromthose from Wairoa within our ranks
so much more important. If we pave
the way for other young people tofollow in our footsteps, then that isthe bigger picture for me – and theultimate reward.”

15 ROUNDS

15ROUNDS

WITH COMMODORESHANE ARNDELL

01

Job title and description:
Deputy Chief of Navy

06

02

Date joined RNZN:
14 February 1990

07

03

First ship posted to:
HMNZS SOUTHLAND(Leander-class Frigate)

08

04

05

Best deployment:
I would have to say Op TIKI VI(HMNZS TE MANA) in 2013/14,
but a very close second was
HMNZS TE KAHA in 1999, with
Antarctica, Timor Crisis and
UN Sanctions Against Saddam
Hussain in Iraq – what a year for a
Junior Officer!
Hometown:
Mount MaunganuiPrimary, intermediate,high schools:
Mount Maunganui College
Favourite book:
Call Sign Chaos –a biography of USMC
General Jim Mattis
Favourite movie:
Naturally, Top Gun but
closely followed by Hunt for
Red October

09

Favourite album:
Pink Floyd’s The Wall10

Favourite song:
Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here11

Favourite holiday
destination:
Anywhere tropical with apool, beach and golf course

12

13

14

Outside of work, what’s acouple of things you enjoy
doing:
Playing Golf
What’s something about youthat not many people know?
I have a very good green thumbfor gardening
A person that taught you avaluable life/Navy lesson was...
and the lesson was:From the book above. Have apassion to read. Have a senseof duty to serve well as aleader of people. Demonstrate
a willingness to engage withanyone and have an enduring
desire to listen to what others
have to say.

15

How would you describe theNavy in 10 words or less:Life-long adventure where no twodays are the same!

APPLICATIONS SOUGHTR E G I O N A L N AVA L O F F I C E R ( R N O )TA S M A N ( N E L S O N ) & WA I K ATO ( H A M I LTO N )Applications are being sought for the position of Regional Naval
Officer (RNO) Tasman (Nelson) and RNO Waikato (Hamilton) in
the Naval Reserve.

The successful application will be appointed as a LieutenantCommander, Royal New Zealand Naval Reserve, after accepting
an initial three-year offer of service.

RNOs are drawn from the local community; they are chosen
for their links with Local Government, Iwi, port companies, local
business, the media, schools and/or the wider community. They
may or may not have had previous military service.

Please contact Dianne Fowler at Dianne.Fowler@nzdf.mil.
nz or CDR Clive Holmes, RNZN at Clive.Holmes@nzdf.mil.nz
before 31 January 2022 for further details.

RNOs represent the Navy in their region, working to lift thelevel of knowledge about the Navy in every community andfacilitating local naval activities.

Navy Today #261 |35

The Book ‘Te Taua Moana,
Celebrating 80 years of
the Royal New Zealand Navy’is on sale now
A PHOTOGRAPHICHISTORY
Te Taua Moana reveals 80 yearsof the Royal New Zealand Navyin concise, decade-by-decade
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