1947 Royal New Zealand Navy mutinies During April 1947 , the Royal New Zealand Navy ( RNZN ) was affected by a series of peaceful mutinies amongst the sailors and non - commissioned officer s of four ships and two shore bases . The main cause was the poor rates of pay compared to the rest of the New Zealand Defence Force , and coincided with the release of a government review on the matter a year late , and without a promised backdating of pay to the review ' s original release date . Another major issue was the poor working and living conditions aboard RNZN ships , which were compounded by having no way to make dissatisfaction known through the chain of command or through lower - deck welfare committees ; the latter could not discuss matters relating to pay , shipboard routine , or service conditions . The main mutiny started on the morning of 1 April , when around 100 sailors from the shore base , in Devonport , declared their intent to refuse duty in protest of the governments ' broken promises on pay . They were later joined by as many personnel from the cruiser HMNZS " Black Prince " and the corvette , and marched off the base . After campaigning for three days and winning the right to backdated pay , the mutineers were offered a choice : return to duty and accept punishment , or be discharged . The majority chose the latter ; these men were financially penalised , denied access to veterans ' benefits , and had trouble finding other work because of government bans on employing them . Subsequent mutinies occurred at the shore base , at Lyttelton , and aboard the minesweeper and the cruiser HMNZS " Bellona " : while taking up the issue of welfare committees , these mutineers also tried to have the poor treatment of their colleagues at Devonport reversed . There were no more discharges , but 52 men deserted . Overall , up to 20 % of the sailors in the RNZN were involved in the mutinies . The resulting manpower shortage forced the RNZN to remove " Black Prince " , one of their most powerful warships , from service , and set the navy ' s development and expansion back by a decade . Despite this impact , the size and scope of the events have been downplayed over time . Causes . Pay . From the navy ' s inception in 1941 , there were concerns about sailors ' pay and conditions . By the end of World War II , naval pay was well behind equivalent ranks in the New Zealand Army and the Royal New Zealand Air Force , and equivalent jobs in the civilian sector . Sailors were forced to accept these wages instead of seeking work elsewhere , as they had enlisted for set periods during the war ; some were required to complete twelve years service . Following the war ' s end , a review of pay was initiated . During his 1943 re - election campaign , Prime Minister Peter Fraser promised that new pay scales would be established by 1 April 1946 ; if there were any delays , the pay rates would be backdated , and the sailors would receive the difference as a lump sum . The review was published on the evening of 1 April , although many sailors learned of the details from contacts during the preceding weekend of 29 – 30 March . While an improvement over previous wages , the new pay rates were still half that of the Army and Air Force , and most , if not all , of the increase would end up absorbed by increasing tax rates . In addition , several benefits or allowances were either removed ( for example , uniformed personnel were no longer allowed free travel on public transport , unless issued a voucher to do so ) or were not modified to compensate for inflation ( for example , uniform allowances remained at pre - war levels , despite the threefold increase in uniform prices ) . Despite all this , the main cause for anger was that the government had reneged on their promise to backdate pay . Conditions . The two ships on which the mutiny originated , the " Dido " - class cruiser HMNZS " Black Prince " and the Flower class corvette , were both considered to have poor accommodation and seakeeping conditions , particularly when wartime upgrades both decreased the space available and increased the number of personnel required to operate them . Committees . Following requests and demands for a formal channel through which sailors could express their grievances , the British Admiralty had approved the formation of lower - deck committee s . New Zealand authorities had reluctantly agreed to this , but the committees were banned from considering or making proposals to the officers on the matters of pay , shipboard routine , or service conditions ; the issues that affected the sailors the most . Of the 219 recommendations made by various committees to higher authorities , only 6 had been approved for consideration , and only 1 was implemented . Mutinies . " Philomel " , " Black Prince " , and " Arbutus " . At the time of the mutiny , " Black Prince " was docked at the shore base , in Devonport . The cruiser was undergoing a refit , which impacted on the ability of her personnel to live and work . The most extreme example was the closure of the ship ' s heads , which coincided with a bout of dysentery : in order to leave the ship and use the toilets ashore , a sailor required express permission from his supervisor , and when one man headed ashore without permission , he received seven days punishment . " Arbutus " was secured alongside " Black Prince " , having just returned from a two - month show the flag cruise around the Pacific Islands . The deployment had seen several incidents , the first of which occurred while the ship was docked in Tahiti ; sailors who were meant to be guarding the ship became drunk , after which a crowd of Tahitians attempted to board the ship and remove equipment . On departure , the corvette sailed into a heavy storm , which lasted for several days . Waves breaking over the bow rendered the bridge unusable , and many aboard — including the ship ' s cat , for the first and only time in its life — were seasick . Water contamination of the fuel oil taken on in Tahiti damaged the propulsion machinery , further adding to the problems . When " Arbutus " finally limped into port , the ship ' s company were informed that they would only remain at " Philomel " long enough to take on aviation fuel and supplies to be delivered to the Cook Islands . During Monday 31 March , there were spontaneous gatherings of sailors , during which they discovered the pay review , shipboard conditions , and the ineffectiveness of the lower - deck committees . Most came to the conclusion that the only way to bring attention to these issues was to mutiny in protest . 1 April . At morning parade on Tuesday 1 April , around 100 sailors of " Philomel " informed the base commander , Commander Peter Phipps , that they intended to refuse duty in protest of the government ' s failure to make the new pay rates retrospective . After the " Philomel " mutineers left the parade ground , word circulated around the base and the ships that there would be a gathering in the base canteen at 12 : 00 . Phipps had been aware of the sailors ' dissatisfaction over the previous few days , but when he informed his superiors of their actions , the reply simply informed him that the details of the pay review would be published that evening . The commander ordered all " Philomel " personnel to assemble in the gymnasium at midday , but nobody below the rank of petty officer attended . After addressing those in the gymnasium , Phipps went to the canteen to talk to the sailors there : after asking them to return to duty and giving the news that the pay scales would be published that evening , he informed them that they had already committed acts of indiscipline , and " would have to take the consequences " . Although aware that their actions constituted mutiny , the sailors were too frustrated with the situation to care . After discussing the causes of their dissatisfaction , those at the canteen meeting ( which now included a number of sailors from " Black Prince " ) decided to present a petition to the New Zealand Naval Board with three demands : the new pay rates were to be made retrospective to 1 April 1946 , lower - deck committees needed to be capable of addressing issues with pay and service conditions , and the sailors were not to be punished for their actions . Phipps noted the details of the petition , and left to communicate with the Naval Board . The bosun ' s pipe to resume work was sounded at 13 : 00 , but the sailors decided that they would " go on strike " in protest instead . Although mutinying , the sailors remained calm and in control of their actions , and endeavoured to make clear that their problems were with the government , not the navy itself . When moving around the base , they had conducted themselves in an orderly and disciplined fashion , and those disembarking from " Black Prince " had salute d the White Ensign as required . They also took care to ensure their actions could not be attributed to external factors ; for example , when one sailor consumed some rum with his lunch , he was encouraged to return to duty , so nobody could claim the mutineers were acting under the influence of alcohol . At 14 : 00 , a group of mutineers went to talk to the ship ' s company of " Arbutus " , who had been confined aboard ship , from the wharf . The corvette ' s sailors decided to join the mutiny , bringing the numbers to just over 200 : the only sailors not involved were eighteen British loan personnel and the sick berth staff at the Navy Hospital . A reply from the Naval Board was received around 16 : 00 , although the response to the sailors ' petition was uncertain and unclear , particularly in relation to the backdated pay . The mutineers decided to march off the base and head for an open space . While heading for the main gate , Commander Phipps intercepted the group , and " argued desperately " for the sailors to return to duty for the duration of Governor - General of New Zealand Sir Bernard Freyberg ' s visit , scheduled for late that afternoon . His requests were denied , and the mutineers marched out the front gate — after some milling around , they headed for the band rotunda at the Devonport Reserve . The Governor - General ' s visit was called off , but as the Master - At - Arms and the senior petty officers were in ceremonial dress ( including sheathed bayonet s ) during and after the walkout , it was incorrectly reported in the media that the mutineers would be forced back to duty at bayonet point . The sailors remained in the reserve during the afternoon , but eventually dispersed after coming to the conclusion that no response would be received from the government that day . It was not until 20 : 00 that Prime Minister Fraser announced that the pay rates would be retrospective . 2 April . Meeting at the reserve at 08 : 00 on Wednesday , the sailors learned of Fraser ' s remarks . Although not all were happy with the details of the new pay rates , it was agreed that their first demand had been met . By 08 : 10 , the mutineers began to march to the gates of " Philomel " , where , upon being stopped by the Master - At - Arms , they asked to present their demands in relation to lower - deck committees and the foregoing of punishment for the mutiny to Commander Phipps . Although willing to listen to the sailors , the only response Phipps could give was that they should return to duty , accept punishment for their actions , and bring their concerns to official channels . While still at the gates , Doctor Martyn Finlay , the local member of parliament , addressed the mutineers and informed them that the government would consider their requests , with the prime minister to respond in two hours . Fraser arrived at the reserve at noon to personally address the sailors , but by this point , most had gone home for the day , with plans to reassemble the next morning . Those remaining listened as Fraser told them that queries regarding the pay package would have been better handled through official channels , and that the sailors should return to work and accept any punishment offered , but did not take his advice . 3 April . On Thursday morning , the mutineers went to protest at the gates of " Philomel " , but found them to be manned by a party of petty officers , supported by the police . Phipps announced that all sailors were to report for duty by 10 : 00 and be prepared to accept the consequences of the mutiny — anyone who did not would be discharged . The government was aware that a large number were unlikely to accept the offer , and accepted that this act would set the development of the RNZN back by several years . After the sailors returned to the reserve , Dr . Finlay advised them that they would likely forfeit all veterans ' benefits if they persisted in their actions , but the warning had the opposite effect to that intended . The majority of the mutineers stripped off their rank and category insignias , medal ribbon s , and good conduct badge s , and returned to the base to collect their effects . However , the Master - At - Arms would only allow them onto the base individually and with an escort , and they could only claim their belongings after returning all items of uniform and equipment , even if they had been paid for through wage deductions . Only 23 men returned to duty ; they , along with the 18 British sailors , were used to form a temporary ship ' s company for " Arbutus " , allowing her to depart for the Cook Islands that afternoon . In their haste to separate the loyalists from further mutinous influences , the ship was not properly provisioned , and all aboard were forced to eat canned pilchard s for the entire voyage . During the afternoon , the chief petty officers and petty officers were asked to confirm that they would not join the mutineers . Although they shared the concerns of the sailors , and did not agree with the handling of the mutiny by the RNZN and the government , they all agreed to remain on duty . " Tasman " and " Hautapu " . On the morning of Tuesday 8 April , seven sailors at the shore base , in Lyttelton , refused duty , and demanded a similar discharge to those at " Philomel " . That day , the " Castle " - class minesweeper returned to " Tasman " ; on arrival , a party of sailors presented a letter to the minesweeper ' s captain , stating their dissatisfaction with the handling of lower - deck committees , and that they would not work until their issues were resolved . After it became clear that the RNZN was unlikely to commit to negotiating solutions to the sailors ' problems , the majority of the corvette ' s company left the ship . Warrants were issued for the arrest of the sailors ; the " Tasman " mutineers returned to duty voluntarily , but those from " Hautapu " had to be brought in by police . In the meantime , trainees from " Tasman " s electrical school were drafted to sail " Hautapu " to Auckland , where they were used to keep " Philomel " running . " Bellona " . At the time of the first mutiny , the Modified " Dido " - class cruiser HMNZS " Bellona " was undergoing training exercises with the Royal Australian Navy . The cruiser returned to Devonport in late April , and were given a day ' s leave to attend Anzac Day services and events on Friday 25 April . Personnel from the cruiser were concerned about how their colleagues had been treated , and during the afternoon , about 100 sailors assembled in Quay Street , Auckland , and decided to not return to duty . Like the mutineers at the start of the month , the " Bellona " sailors had three main demands , this time that naval pay rates be increased to match those of the Army and Air Force , that committees be established to discuss problems and improve the welfare of sailors , and that the discharged sailors not be barred from the public service . Another 40 sailors mustering at " Philomel " before boarding " Bellona " were recruited into the mutiny : these men marched off the base , despite orders to halt . In response , the ship ' s captain sent the entire complement on leave for the weekend . On Monday 28 April , a letter listing the mutineers demands was presented to the captain , with the intent that it be forwarded to the Naval Board . Instead of addressing the complaints , the Naval Board declared that any sailor who did not return to duty by the morning of Tuesday 29 April would be marked as Absent Without Leave . By morning parade , 52 men had failed to return . Aftermath . Over the course of the mutinies , around 20 % of the sailors in the RNZN were either discharged or otherwise punished for their actions . All of those discharged following the Devonport mutiny lost 10 % of their deferred pay , all of their accrued leave , and any backdated pay from the review . They were also denied access to veterans ' benefits , such as training subsidies or housing assistance . On learning this , some sailors attempted to rejoin , but were prevented from doing so . No courts - martial were ever held . Although anyone with a dishonourable discharge was prevented from employment in the public service or any government - owned or - operated organisation , the government illegally applied the ban to the mutineers , even though their discharges were not marked as ' dishonourable ' . This prevented many mutineers from seeking employment in jobs that used their learned skills ; for example , the only non - military employer of telegraphist s in New Zealand was the Post and Telegraph Department . The 23 men who returned to duty at " Philomel " were charged with " taking part in a technical mutiny without violence " . Punishments included reductions in rank , loss of good conduct badges , leave , or pay , or short periods of imprisonment . The sailors from both " Tasman " and " Hautapu " were all charged with mutiny and imprisoned for 60 days , although this was later commuted to sentences of between 14 and 24 days . The 52 " Bellona " sailors who did not return by the Naval Board deadline were marked as having deserted , even though naval regulations meant that they had to be absent for seven days before being considered deserters . Once marked , the sailors lost all unpaid pay and allowances . The issuing of arrest warrants for the sailors was also considered , but the cruiser ' s captain dismissed the suggestion . Between the date of the mutiny and 23 June , when " Bellona " sailed on her next deployment , another 32 men returned . Various charges were laid against them , ranging from " wilfully disobeying a legal command " to " joining a mutiny not accompanied by violence " , and the sailors were sentenced to periods of imprisonment up to 92 days . The mass discharge of sailors set the development of the RNZN back by around ten years . The most immediate problem was with the cruiser " Black Prince " , which was to return to service in June after her refit . Following the mutiny , the refit was suspended and the cruiser was laid up in reserve . The size , scope , and long - term impact of the mutiny have been downplayed over time . There was no mention of the events in the official history published in 1991 to commemorate the RNZN ' s 50th anniversary .