Reservists, colleagues and sailors past and present celebrated the centenary of Auckland-based reserve unit HMNZS Ngapona over November 22-24.
04 December, 2024
Events included a pōwhiri at Te Taua Moana, base tours, a Beat the Retreat ceremony and reception at the Navy Museum, and a memorial service at St Christopher’s Chapel.
Ngapona’s Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander Chetan Sawyer said it was an “awesome” weekend, following on from Ngapona’s public-facing highlights of the Whangārei Maritime Festival in October.
“The whole weekend was amazing, but the combined service and ‘end of year function’ was a real highlight of the weekend,” he said. “Everyone was in a really good mood and there was some fantastic humour.”
A particular item of nostalgia was visits to ex-RNZN Harbour Defence Motor Launch (HDML) ‘Paea’, now in private ownership. Ngapona’s divisional coxswain Chief Petty Officer Combat System Specialist Shane Kennedy and relief coxswain Petty Officer Naval Policeman Mike ‘Buck’ Taylor helped crew the boat from Whangārei to a mooring in Bayswater, North Shore where it was made available for viewing.
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According to the Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy, the New Zealand Division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve was established in October 1924, based in Auckland. It was renamed the Auckland Division in 1928, in keeping with the creation of Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin Divisions.
In October 1941 all Divisions were renamed as Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve. At this point the Divisions were not active; all personnel were mobilised as part of the war effort.
In November 1951, the Division was commissioned as a ship: HMNZS Ngapona. The ship’s name is taken from a Māori proverb relating to the three peaks of Rangitoto. The ship’s badge denotes the kaka, a native bird that was originally found on Rangitoto. The ship’s motto is “we serve together”.
Ngapona moved from its long-time position in St Mary’s Bay in 2007 and is now located in within Devonport Naval Base.
A popular souvenir for the centenary was Ngapona’s Centenary challenge coin. Ngapona’s own Lieutenant Commander Graeme ‘Frosty’ Frost designed the coin based on the ship’s crest. It quickly sold out.
Tuesday, December 3, 2024 – 16:28 – Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand
Flag Portrait of LMT(L) Joe Mataele, T1051577
Royal New Zealand Navy 2024 Sailor of the Year, Joe Mataele. Photo: RNZN.
Joe Mataele, a Leading Marine Technician (LMT) who grew up in Tonga, was named the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) 2024 Sailor of the Year.
LMT Mataele “is a highly respected engineer known for his motivation, problem-solving abilities, and a steadfast commitment to safety and continuous professional growth,” RNZN stated.
He is also a Basic Common Training instructor for RNZN newest aspiring sailors.
“LMT Mataele is an inspiring leader who lays a strong foundation in discipline, accountability, and teamwork, ensuring our recruits are prepared to meet the demands of naval service with confidence and resilience.”
“His guidance goes beyond technical skills, fostering a warrior mind-set and deep understanding of our core values. His professionalism, resilience, and unwavering dedication sets a very high benchmark for others to follow,” RNZN added.
From Hawaii to the South China Sea, HMNZS Aotearoa’s 2024 Operation Crucible deployment has been a successful reaffirmation of New Zealand’s partnerships on the water.
29 October, 2024
Aotearoa returned to Devonport on 25 October after 135 days away, with family and friends waiting on Calliope Wharf to welcome the crew home. Navy colleagues greeted the ship’s company with a haka, who responded with their own.
For Commanding Officer Commander Rob Welford, his return to Devonport was exactly one year and one day since he took command of Aotearoa, and the second time he has brought Aotearoa home from South East Asia. He took command of Aotearoa in Singapore towards the end of the ship’s 2023 deployment.
CDR Welford says he could not be prouder of his ship’s company.
“Our many successes with multiple countries, including some ‘firsts’ for the ship like an eight-hour refueling of USS Boxer, shows how Aotearoa continues to be the ‘tanker of choice’ in delivering an operational effect for our Defence partners.
“In all our engagements and taskings, Aotearoa’s sailors have had a smile on their face and put 100 per cent effort into everything they have done. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Commander Joint Forces New Zealand, Major General Rob Krushka, and RNZN Maritime Component Commander, Commodore Shane Arndell, were in Devonport to meet and talk with the crew of Aotearoa.
MAJGEN Krushka and CDRE Arndell wanted to convey the NZDF and the Navy’s thanks to the ship’s company for a lengthy mission professionally conducted.
CDRE Arndell says Aotearoa’s accomplishments shows the Royal New Zealand Navy is a highly trained blue-water navy with the personnel and platforms to make a tangible contribution on the world stage supporting the international rules-based system.
“There will be plenty more of these opportunities for our sailors in coming months allowing them to be at the sharp end of operations, and that’s exactly why they joined,” he says.
“This has been a long time away for the crew of Aotearoa but they should be incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved.”
Aotearoa returned to Devonport on 25 October after 135 days away, with family and friends waiting on Calliope Wharf to welcome the crew home.
Aotearoa returned to Devonport on 25 October after 135 days away, with family and friends waiting on Calliope Wharf to welcome the crew home.
Aotearoa returned to Devonport on 25 October after 135 days away, with family and friends waiting on Calliope Wharf to welcome the crew home.
Aotearoa returned to Devonport on 25 October after 135 days away, with family and friends waiting on Calliope Wharf to welcome the crew home.
Aotearoa returned to Devonport on 25 October after 135 days away, with family and friends waiting on Calliope Wharf to welcome the crew home.Scroll to previous imageScroll to next image
Exercise Rimpac
HMNZS Aotearoa arrived early to Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2024 (RIMPAC 2024) in Hawaii on June 23, ready to work with four other replenishment ships as part of Combined Task Force 173, RIMPAC’s combat logistics task force.
Aotearoa’s early arrival meant it could conduct Replenishment at Sea (RAS) trials with commercial tanker MV Allied Pacific, both alongside and then at sea. Being able to receive fuel from a commercial tanker while at sea was a brand-new capability for Aotearoa.
Aotearoa received a total of 13,386,000 litres of F76 Diesel Fuel and passed a total of 6,384,000 litres of F76 diesel fuel and 460,000 litres of aviation fuel to customer ships both inside and outside the exercise.
Aotearoa conducted RAS operations with 16 partner ships, including a concurrent RAS with United States destroyer USS Sterett and Canadian frigate HMCS Vancouver.
A significant highlight was replenishing USS Boxer, an Amphibious Assault Ship sailing to Asia for its operational deployment.
It meant Boxer had to be stationed 45m off Aotearoa’s port beam for 8.5 hours while close to 3 million litres of diesel fuel and 350,000 litres of aviation fuel were pumped across.
It was both the longest replenishment and largest ship ever replenished by Aotearoa.
HMNZS Aotearoa participated in Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 24.
Korean Peninsula
Aotearoa’s deployment shifted to Japan and North Korea to contribute to the monitoring of United Nations Security Council Resolutions imposing sanctions against North Korea. During its four-week involvement, Aotearoa’s role was to replenish international navy vessels patrolling the Korean Peninsula.
During the transit Aotearoa enjoyed the company of Vancouver, with both ships conducting a variety of manoeuvres and swapping crew members to experience life on board another nation’s vessel.
Aotearoa conducted port visits to Yokosuka and Sasebo, Japan.
Multilateral exercises
Aotearoa continued its support of partner navies during its passage south to Singapore. It conducted replenishments and manoeuvres with South Korea, Japan, Germany, Australia, the Philippines and the United States, including taking part in a Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity international exercise in the South China Sea, designed to strengthen interoperability in the maritime context. It included a concurrent replenishments with returning customer USS Boxer and USS Comstock, and with destroyers USS Howard and HMAS Sydney.
HMNZS Aotearoa conducting a Dual-Replenishment at Sea with HMAS Sydney and USS Howard. Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship JS Sazanami sails behind. Photo: Royal Australian Navy
Taiwan Strait transit
Aotearoa sailed through the Taiwan Strait with Sydney on the afternoon of 25 September, en route to a port visit in Singapore.
Maritime Component Commander CDRE Shane Arndell said this was a routine movement from one point in the Indo-Pacific to another.
“The New Zealand Defence Force conducts all activities in accordance with international law and best practice. This was a routine activity, consistent with international law, including the right of freedom of navigation as guaranteed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”
The last previous transit of the Taiwan Strait, en route to Qingdao, China was conducted by HMNZS Te Kaha in 2017.
HMNZS Manawanui had been under the command of ex-Royal Navy officer Commander Yvonne Gray (Picture: New Zealand Navy Today)
A former Royal Navy officer who now serves in the Royal New Zealand Navy has been praised for her decision to evacuate everyone aboard the stricken HMNZS Manawanui.
Commander Yvonne Gray gave the order for all hands to abandon ship when it ran aground and caught fire off the coast of Samoa – it then listed heavily and 12 hours later was entirely submerged
Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral Garin Golding, said she made the “right decision” to evacuate the 75 people aboard, which “saved lives”.
He added: “Evacuating a ship at night is an incredibly complex and dangerous task.”
Defence Minister Judith Collins says a Court of Inquiry will establish how the Navy ship crashed into a reef.
She called the evacuation “something of a triumph, frankly”, given the difficult conditions.
The decision of Cdr Gray to abandon ship has been praised as all 75 crew and passengers were rescued (Picture: Samoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority)
Originally from Harrogate in Yorkshire, Cdr Gray took the helm of the RNZN’s dive, hydrographic and salvage vessel HMNZS Manawanui in December 2022.
Her career began in the Royal Navy when she joined in 1993, after spending university holidays at a Sea Cadet facility in the Lake District.
She spent most of her junior career at sea, including on the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible and the minehunters Walney, Bridport and Cromer, after specialising as a Mine Warfare Officer.
After completing the Principal Warfare Officer course in 2004, she joined HMS Westminster as the PWO (Underwater) and Operations Officer, with operational experience in West Africa, Northern Europe and the Gulf.
Cdr Gray said taking command of HMNZS Manawanui in December 2022 ‘was that opportunity that made my eyes light up’ (Picture: Royal New Zealand Navy)
Following a posting to the Maritime Warfare Centre in Portsmouth, she took the opportunity in 2009 to work with the Royal Australian Navy at HMAS Watson, Sydney.
Cdr Gray then moved to New Zealand in 2012 after a campervan holiday where she and her wife fell in love with the country.
Speaking to New Zealand’s Navy Today magazine in 2022, she said: “How do we get to live here, we asked ourselves,” adding: “The most obvious thing was to apply to join the Royal New Zealand Navy.”
On taking command of HMNZS Manawanui, Cdr Gray said: “It was that opportunity that made my eyes light up.”
Intricate knife skills, specialised cooking techniques and refined plating skills were on display at the annual 47th Roy Smith Memorial Trophy Competition last week.
02 October, 2024
Five teams from the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN), New Zealand Army, and teams from the Australian Defence Force competed in the two-day fine dining competition at Devonport Naval Base, which aims to foster catering excellence in the New Zealand Defence Force and across the ditch.
Chefs, or caterers as they are known in the NZ Army, are responsible for delivering nutritious meals whether at home on exercises or away on operations, on ships, or in a tented field kitchen. The competition gives soldiers and sailors an opportunity to learn from each other and strengthen their trade, so they can support personnel to carry out their vital work.
The RNZN team took out the coveted Roy Smith Trophy and Able Chef Jaimee McGahey says she’s ‘over the moon’ to have been part of the winning team.
“I always wanted to be a chef and when I joined the Navy straight from school, I listed chef, chef and chef as my options for what trade I was going to enter,” said the 21-year-old from Papamoa.
“I was most excited about my dessert, which was a blood orange and chocolate bavarois. It was my first time making it so I practised for about a week leading up to the competition. The biggest challenge is you have a clock running in the background which puts the pressure on while you’re competing, but I just thought, it’s just a timer, it’s not like a bomb is going to go off,” she says.
Warrant Officer First Class (WO1) Manu Ferguson, from the Defence Catering School, is the competition controller and says it’s an honour to be part of the historic competition.
“The competition started in 1977, so it’s been a running a long time. I started off in the catering school when I first joined the Army, going from student to now being the chief instructor is an honour and it feels like coming full circle. For me, it’s more than just a cooking competition, it’s a way of life. It teaches our people about team work, work ethic, commitment, and it gives our young soldiers and sailors a chance to be a part of history,” he says.
Each team is made up of two chefs, a front of house steward, a coach and a manager. Over the two days, the front of house is tested on stewarding, serving, setting tables, making cocktails and mocktails and the communication skills between themselves and the chefs.
“There’s one round that focuses on kitchen work, including health and safety around food preparation, team work in the kitchen and the serving of plated up meals. The competition culminates with an eight-course meal, blind-judged by the Defence Force Catering School instructors and also served to diners,” WO1 Ferguson said.
Able Seaman Maritime Logistics Support Operator Harley Seckold, Personal Staff to the Australian Governor-General says he had a positive experience taking part in the competition.
“This is the second time that an ADF tri-service team has participated but it’s my first time in New Zealand and participating in the competition. It’s been great, working with foreign military teams, seeing how everyone does things, having fun, building camaraderie and international naval relations. It’s good watching how the RNZN teams work and bringing any pointers from the winning back to Australia so we can be stronger competitors next year.”
Warrant Officer Ferguson said working with our Anzac partners across the Tasman was vital for international engagement.
“We work with them in operations and field exercise, both land and sea and this is another way we can enhance our relationship,” he said.
Lance Corporal Storm Van Zyl from 2nd Combat Service Support Battalion (2CSSB) at Linton Military Camp competed as a chef in last year’s winning team and this year she’s trying her hand at front of house.
“It’s great seeing everyone’s ideas and learning how other people work. It’s really cool working with Australia as well. I competed at an Australia Defence catering competition called Exercise Golden Plate competition last year in Brisbane. It was a competition based in the field rather than fine dining; more like adventure dining, shooting, going on big walks and then cooking, but it was great learning. This year I’m more nervous about serving coffee in front of house in case it spills over anyone.”
The following teams participated in the 2024 competition:
Royal New Zealand Navy team
2nd Combat Service Support Battalion, New Zealand Army, Linton Military Camp
3rd Combat Service Support Battalion, New Zealand Army, Burnham Military Camp
Australian Army 17th Sustainment Brigade team
Australian Defence Force Combined team
The category winners for 2024:
1st year Chef – Private Taygon Jean-Louise
2nd Year Chef – Lance Corporal Emily Chamberlin
Quizzene Cup – RNZN
Murray Ross – 2CSSB
Harvey Bourne – 17th Sustainment Brigade – Australian Army
Dave Murray – Leading Hospitality Specialist Andre’a Falchi
Fretwell Downing – RNZN
Roy Smith – RNZN
Te Ope Katua O Aotearoa – 17th Sustainment Brigade – Australian Army
