issue 219 MARCH 2018

FRiGATe uPGRADe uNDeRWAY

facebook.com/NZNavytwitter.com/NZNavy

Te MANA WORKs uP

HAWeA PATROLs THe COAsT

BOXeR OFF TO GAMes

cover image: A computer-generated image of a Frigate System Upgraded Anzac frigate.

contents NAVY TODAY ISSUE 219 2018

10

issue 219 MARCH 2018

FRiGATe uPGRADe uNDeRWAY

facebook.com/NZNavytwitter.com/NZNavy

Te MANA WORKs uP

HAWeA PATROLs THe COAsT

BOXeR OFF TO GAMes

DirectorY

Published to inform, inspire and entertain serving and former members of the RNZN, their families and friends and the wider Navy community.

Navy Today is the official magazine of the Royal New Zealand Navy. Published by Defence Public Affairs, Wellington. Navy Today is now in its twenty first year of publication.

Views expressed in Navy Today are not necessarily those of the RNZN or the NZDF.

Contributions are welcomed, including stories, photographs and letters. Please submit stories and letters by email in Microsoft Word or the body of an email. Articles up to 500 words welcomed, longer if required by the subject. Please consult the editor about long articles. Digital photos submitted by email also welcomed, at least

500kb preferred.

coPY DeaDLines For nt 5Pm as FoLLoWs:

NT 220 April issue 15 March NT 221 May issue 15 April NT 222 June issue 15 May

Subject to change.

eDitor:

Andrew Bonallack Defence Public Affairs HQ NZ Defence Force Private Bag, Wellington, New Zealand E: navytoday@nzdf.mil.nz

Design & LaYoUt:

Defence Public Affairs

Print:

As part of a Government multi-agency initiative the NZDF has changed to a single provider for all of its Print Services. This magazine is now printed by Blue Star. Feedback to rick.derham@nzdf.mil.nz on the quality of this publication is welcomed.

inQUiries to:

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04 TE MANA WORKS UP

06 HAWEA PATROLS THE COAST

12 COMFORT ON AOTEAROA

20 DOG INSPECTION

23 ART DECO FESTIVAL

26 MISSION COMPLETE, MANAWANUI

30 OLD GUN, NEW LOOK

33 WOMEN’S RUGBY

34 TOWER DE FORCE

21 26

3YOURS AYE

Warrant oFFicer oF tHe navYWO Wayne Dyke

It is important each and every one of us, no matter where we sit in the organisation, take the time for reflection. As the first year anniversary of taking up the appointment

as your Warrant Officer of the Navy approaches, I have taken some time to reflect on the year that has been.

The first thing that springs to mind is how I am continually amazed at, and draw energy from, the talent our people possess. Whether it be hidden artistic abilities or creating apps for smart phones, I have been fortunate to be exposed to some amazing people who offer so much, as our Navy continually looks to evolve and improve.

The Warrant Officer of the Navy works closely with the Chief of Navy and the Command Leadership Executive to bring the enlisted perspective to the decisions of the chain of command. To be in a position to do so, I have paid a visit to each of our ships. Talking about our Core Values was the topic - not that I really need an excuse to ditch the office uniform for GWD’s – and I have been impressed by your openness, honesty, candour and for the ground truths. Speaking of Core Values, we need not look any further than the sailors who proudly represented our Navy and the NZDF at the Invictus Games last year in Toronto as examples of living our values and inspiration.

My position comes with a lot of privilege and responsibility. I was fortunate enough to represent the NZDF at the Gallipoli commemorations, the RNZN at the Republic of Singapore Navy’s 50th Anniversary celebration and our enlisted sailors at the Western Pacific Naval Symposium Senior Enlisted Leaders Working Group. The latter event I was very fortunate to be accompanied Petty Officer Writer Capra Robertson. There is a purpose to these trips.

Early in my tenure I stated one of my goals was to explore and provide more development opportunities for our junior enlisted sailors. We have recently sent the two runners-up to the Sailor of the Year selection process to participate in the US Seventh Fleet Sailor of the Year selection celebrations. Only last month we have received an invitation to send a Leading Hand or Petty Officer to participate in an Enlisted Leaders Development Programme with the Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain. A Chief Petty Officer is heading offshore later this year to the Senior Enlisted Academy in Rhode Island. I am working with my counterparts in the US Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Navy to explore other leadership development and networking opportunities.

Networking is not just about going overseas. In October I hosted Master Chief Petty Officer Steven Cantrall, the Master Chief Petty Officer of the US Coastguard. On my behalf, Petty Officer Jo Stewart, the 2016 Sailor of the Year, hosted an American sailor from Japan on the Lead Leaders training programme. Warrant Officer Lynette Bokany and the course members of the Warrant Officer Development Course hosted an Australian and American Chief Petty Officer. This year I am hopeful we will see

students from Chile, Canada and the US Coast Guard undertaking professional military development training on our shores. Their participation will add unique perspectives and experiences.

Another goal was to review and have the Sailor of the Year selection process and programme evolve. NZBR 12 has been updated and reflects the changes we have made. There is still plenty of room for improvement with the programme; however I am happy with the direction it is tracking.

Reputation enhancement through community engagement is important to me. Throughout 2017 I have tried to visit and engage with as many of the sea cadet units as I could. I am planning on getting to the units I have missed sometime at some point in 2018. I have also worked with representatives from the RSA and VANZ to promote a range of services and support mechanisms these groups provide for you.

All the progress made to date is due to the support I get from a group of senior leaders working hard in the background. Everything we do as senior leaders is aimed at making things better for our sailors.

So, what is in store for 2018? I have been tasked with introducing the RNZN’s Tobacco Harm Reduction Strategy. I will continue to work in the wellbeing and culture space. This year I have asked a small group of leaders to look into the Divisional System and see what, if anything, needs to be changed. There are a number of other initiatives I hope to progress and get released this year, all with the aim of advancing the interests of you, our sailors.

Yours Aye

WO Wayne DykeWarrant Officer of the Navy

WA

RR

AN

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OFFICER OF THE

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4 TE MANA WORKS UP

Coming back from Christmas leave into Work Up was the first challenge TE MANA had to overcome. Shaking out the cobwebs had to happen quickly

as other demanding activities included getting a SH-2G(I) Seasprite helicopter on board for the first time in many years, and coming under “attack” from surface and air targets with a reasonably junior Ship’s Company.

All of this of course was interlaced with damage control exercises and a helicopter that seemed to “crash on deck” more than it was aloft.

Four weeks later and the Work Up Progress Evaluation (WUPE) behind us, TE MANA has come a long way; many Kamarian forces (the aggressors in the scenario) have been destroyed by the Ops room and a sharp crew and most Damage Control situations that arose were effectively dealt with by the Standing Sea Emergency Party.

All departments on board have been tested. Anyone that has done a Work Up previously knows the drain that being in defence watches for long periods can cause; especially when at least part of your off-watch is usually spent at action stations. The engineers have had many defects, both real and simulated, and the small medical team on board have had incidents ranging from sore tummies,

Te MANA AT THe TOP OF THeiR GAMeBy Lt Quinn Quinlan

On 22 January HMNZS TE MANA set sail with the rest of the fleet for Shakedown week. However, there was one difference; we had a group of personnel in green overalls on board – the Maritime Operations Evaluation Team – and we were on our way to patrol the “Territory of Beulah”.

Top of page: HMNZS TE MANA fires chaff during an anti-air warfare exercise to seduce incoming missiles.

Above: A SH-2G(I) Seasprite touches down on TE MANA’s flight deck.

5TE MANA WORKS UP

burns and smoke inhalation to blindness, broken bones and deaths (all for exercise of course). All the while we have been receiving great food from the chefs, the Stores Accountants have been tested and delivered, and the Ship has experienced great service from the Writer and Steward Trades. Work Up is seven weeks of learning just how important it is that every branch must work together to be a fully functional fighting warship.

We had the advantage of working with the Royal Australian Navy during Work Up 18 as part of Exercise OCEAN EXPLORER 2018 off the east coast of Australia. It meant we could work with eight other ships as part of a Task Group and have Sydney’s Fleet Base East as a port, which provided the crew with great city sights and eateries for some much-deserved rest after the WUPE.

The next step for TE MANA is to continue on the uphill curve that Work Up has set for us since January and be fully prepared for a deployment to South East Asia and Exercise RIMPAC during the second half of the year.

Top of page: Seaman Combat Specialists prepare the 0.5 calibre machine gun.

Damage Control teams gather for a briefing.

Below: The lights of Sydney beckon a hard-working Ship’s Company.

YOu HAVe THe FLeeT

Two years rolls around pretty fast, says departing Maritime Component Commander (MCC)

Commodore Jim Gilmour.

On 1 March CDRE Gilmour spoke the words “You have the fleet” to Captain Dave McEwan, who will take over the role of Maritime Component Commander for three months.

CDRE Gilmour says his time as MCC has been “without equal” in his Naval career. “A highlight from start to finish. I have been extremely proud of our people, they are the very best that New Zealand produces. They go above and beyond, representing themselves, our Navy, our Defence Force and their country with distinction.”

He related an anecdote from a Government House lunch last year. Scott Simpson, MP for Coromandel, had once been a guest aboard HMNZS OTAGO, and had been very complimentary of his time on a “training ship”. Mr Simpson confessed he had thought OTAGO was such because the crew were so young. “This is an organisation that takes our young people and provides opportunities to improve themselves, be the best they can be, while living a life of adventure,” says CDRE Gilmour.

He complimented the incoming MCC, CAPT McEwan, on his leadership as Captain Fleet Operational Readiness, remarking on his “revolution” of Naval capabilities and readiness. “I hand the Maritime Component to you, knowing it will be in very good hands. I wish the Fleet the very best of years in 2018 and beyond, it has been my pleasure to have served with you.” Captain Tony Millar, based in the United States at present, will become MCC in June.

Above: CDRE Jim Gilmour hands over the Symbol of Command for the Maritime Component to CAPT Dave McEwan.

6 HAWEA PATROLS THE COAST6

By andrew Bonallack

The message was clear to commercial fishers along the North Island coastline last month: keep to the rules and everyone wins.

In early February, HMNZS HAWEA conducted a joint fisheries patrol (Operation KAUWAE) with the Ministry for Primary Industries to reinforce the Government’s commitment to sustainable fishing.

Lieutenant Brock West, the Commanding Officer of HAWEA, says they mostly enforced the 12-mile zone, although a patrol of Three Kings Islands took them out to 80 miles. “We build a combined maritime operating picture,” he says. “With fishing vessels, their position is transmitted every one to two hours, and we can usually see them. The Seasprite does a surface search, giving us real-time information, speed and course, of vessels. It could be

JOiNT FisHeRies PATROL seNDs MessAGe ON susTAiNABLe FisHiNG

Patrol length approximately 2000 kmfrom Coromandel up to Cape Reinga and down to Taranaki.

Over 6 Days HAWEA was joined by a No. 6 Squadron SH-2G(I) Seasprite helicopter.

boats around 60 – 80 metres, or two or three people on a 25-metre boat.”

On boarding, the MPI inspectors check the type of fish caught – including the bycatch – and the quantities recorded, and whether the fishermen are using the right gear. Fifteen vessels were inspected during the operation.

LT West says the key message being delivered is there are rules on inshore fishing and the Government, with the Navy’s assistance, is serious about enforcing them. Fishermen are generally receptive to this message. “There’s been a culture shift,” he says. “Three to five years ago, things were a bit hostile, people saying we were trying to stop them from making money. Today, they know we’re there for a purpose. We’re there to see they do their jobs properly, and they want people to do their jobs properly, so they all have a job next year. We are there to secure their future and their jobs. So they are inviting, and will have the documentation laid out, which makes our job easier. It’s usually a quick inspection, and 99 per cent of the time everything is fine.”

The Inshore Patrol Vessels are utilised every year for these operations, although the mission can vary. “For this mission, the main target was commercial and charter vessels. But other years we have looked at recreational fishers. On a previous operation, we spent a day around the Bay of Islands, just to say hello, and make sure the fishing catches were the right size.”

The HAWEA team discovered a large drifting net after spotting a buoy on the surface. “As well as a hazard to navigation, there was a lot of dead marine life in it. We took it on board and disposed of it in Auckland.”

MPI Chief Compliance Officer Richard Ratapu said it was great to see high levels of compliance from fishermen.

A number of alleged offences were detected, and follow-up action will be taken by MPI.

7HAWEA PATROLS THE COAST 7

CHANGes iN MAss AND MAGNeTisMThe Navy supported GNS Science in building

their knowledge of submarine volcanic activity with Operation AGLAIA off the Bay of Plenty coast last month.

HMNZS HAWEA, finishing up from the Art Deco Festival in Napier, took aboard a GNS Science technician and undertook magnetic and gravity readings across 30,000 square kilometres between East Cape, Coromandel Peninsula and White Island.

The work aims to build on GNS Science’s understanding of the offshore extension of the Taupo Volcanic Zone. The magnetometer can pick up traces of magnetite, a volcanic rock that achieves magnetic properties caused while cooling. But if magnetite is subjected to hydrothermal heat, it becomes demagnetised and turns into iron pyrite. Readings of magnetism, alongside loss of magnetism, indicates ongoing hydrothermal activity.

Magnetic readings were obtained by trailing a 1.5m long magnetometer behind HAWEA, while an on-board gravity meter was used to detect substantial, dense mass underneath sediment.

Project leader Cornel de Ronde of GNS Science said the survey would greatly enhance the understanding of the volcanic history of the offshore region.

“Over many years scientists have made detailed observations and measurements of subsurface volcanic structures right up to the Bay of Plenty coast,” Dr de Ronde said. “But the area between the coast and White Island is pretty much a void in scientific terms. We are very grateful to the NZDF for offering their support to remedy this.”

Volcanologist Brad Scott said if anything interesting was discovered there would be scope for returning with a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). He said it was not unknown for fish, likely a shark, to have a go at the towed magnetometer, judging by the teeth marks it has received before.

Lieutenant Brock West, Commanding Officer of HAWEA, said the NZDF and GNS Science are long-standing partners in the pursuit of science. “We recognise that this scientific survey is valuable and we are pleased that we can help enable it.”

Above: White Island looms large in front of a Navy seaboat from HMNZS HAWEA.

“Our joint presence with the NZDF helps to raise compliance levels. This ultimately supports sustainable fisheries management, which is the aim of these patrols.”Top of page: Two fisheries officers fold away a discarded net, recovered after it was found drifting.

A fishery officer from the Ministry for Primary Industries checks a fisherman’s catch.

A boarding party arrive at a fishing vessel to start inspection.

Previous page: HMNZS HAWEA alongside a commercial fishing vessel as their RHIB is deployed.

8 ROTOITI REJOINS THE FLEET

By andrew Bonallack

By day, reactivating an Inshore Patrol Vessel means a thousand small things that have to be solved. But what keeps Lieutenant Regan Harris sleeping at

night is his cool-headed team on the job and the pride in bringing a ship back to service.

At time of writing in February, LT Harris, the Commanding Officer of HMNZS ROTOITI, was working on bringing ROTOITI back into the game, joining sister ships TAUPO and HAWEA. PUKAKI, the fourth IPV, will have a similar reactivation later in the year. ROTOITI, which has been laid up in reserve at Devonport for two years, was last taken out to sea in December, which LT Harris says went well. This month, ROTOITI will undertake harbour training and work-up, before starting Officer of the Watch (Bravo) courses in April, combined with a visit to Wellington for Anzac Day.

“It’s not until you get everyone on board, you open everything up, you start everything up, that you really know what it is you need to do.” There are, inevitably, a lot of little things to be rectified. “On their own, they’re not a huge deal, they might not be a safety thing. But when you are at sea, you need them.” He says he has some “deep experience” in his team, including an Engineering Officer who commissioned the ship in 2009. He also has people who have posted on as their first ever posting to a ship.

But whether experienced or beginner, there’s a lot of pride in bringing a ship back to life. “The enthusiasm has been good. We went to the Fleet Shakedown parade, and that was the first time since 2016 the ship’s symbol of command had been paraded. That was a proud moment for the ship, and that sense of pride is growing. With the experienced hands on board, there’s a keen desire to see her out running again.” He points out that ROTOITI was the first IPV to be commissioned, which makes her something of a

flagship. “A lot of people have fond memories of being on her, and that’s where a lot of the motivation comes from, the love and care.”

It is his first experience of command for LT Harris, and like other seaman officers, he trained on IPVs. “Every Seaman Officer, all the COs of IPVs, start their career on one of these. So it feels like we are giving something back. For me, it feels like I’ve come full circle.”

The pride is evident in ROTOITI supporters, who have been sending LT Harris pictures, stories and poems from ROTOITI of the Loch-class era. It adds to his motivation. The Ship’s Company have placed orders for badges and ship’s baseball caps and are looking forward to proudly displaying ROTOITI’s crest on their uniform again. The wardroom boasts arguably the best coffee machine in the fleet. “This is our home, our waka. We want to get everything sorted, get back out there, get the pride back, and become a part of the fleet again. Some of my finest memories in the Navy were of the 70th Anniversary fleet review in Wellington, with all four IPVs at sea. It’s a goal we aspire to. We fondly remember that time, and we want it back again.”

Top of page: HMNZS ROTOITI alongside Calliope Wharf.

Above: LT Regan Harris, Commanding Officer of HMNZS ROTOITI, discusses an engine issue with CPOMT(P) Nigel Walker.

ROTOiTi ReJOiNs THe FLeeT

9

Above: The vigour of shipboard bucketball on the way to Hawaii.

Left: RADM Patrick Piercey, US Pacific Command, greets TE KAHA’s Ship’s Company.

Below: A computer-generated image of a refitted Anzac frigate.

It felt like HMNZS TE KAHA was the place everyone wanted to be, says Lieutenant Alexandra Pereyaslavets, Assistant Weapon Engineering Officer. TE KAHA arrived in Hawaii on 18 February, a stopover on her voyage to Esquimalt, Canada, for her year-long Frigate Systems Upgrade.

Rear Admiral Patrick Piercey, Director of Operations (J3) US Pacific Command, welcomed TE KAHA’s crew to Hawaii. TE KAHA has been prominent in

engagements with the United States, notably RIMPAC 2016, working alongside USS SAMPSON during Kaikoura relief operations and joining the Seventh Fleet’s NIMITZ carrier strike group last year – all events RADM Piercey was quick to praise the crew for.

The evening event on TE KAHA boasted 24 stars among the United States guests. “It was clear the NZDF is held in

high regard in the USA,” reckoned LT Pereyaslavets.

TE KAHA had departed New Zealand on 9 February. The long voyage meant rest and relaxation as well as Ship’s duties, which is where the Ship’s entertainment committee comes in. The Petty Officer’s mess won the high-stakes bucketball competition (the “win” remains in dispute), before moving on to a skills competition involving quizzes, ability to sing songs and bobbing for apples, with the Operations Branch taking the victory.

TE KAHA arrived in Canada on 5 March, and our April issue will showcase her reception and preparation.

The crew, in the main, will return to New Zealand soon after TE KAHA is delivered to Lockheed Martin Canada. TE KAHA will be ready for tasking from May 2020, then HMNZS TE MANA will have her turn in Canada.

Te KAHA eNROuTe

10 TE KAHA’S GISBORNE CREW

Top of page: Sailors on HMNZS Te Kaha who call Gisborne home. From left, AS Journee Haapu, ASA Sarah Puha, APTI Mahia Morton, AMED Max Neustroski, WOMT(P) Neil McIntosh, LSA Haylee Nuku, POCWS Candi Fox and WOMT(P) Des Rangiwai.

By Lt alexandra Pereyaslavets

HMNZS TE KAHA is a lucky ship. She has eight people on board that all hail from Gisborne. They have all had different paths leading them to end up

on this journey to Canada, with an interesting crossing of paths in between.

The Command Warrant Officer, Warrant Officer Marine Technician (Propulsion) Des Rangiwai, was born in Gisborne, with both parents working as commercial possum hunters and farmers all over the East Coast. They finally moved to the back blocks of Frasertown on a 2600-hectare farm when WOMT Rangiwai was 10 years old. At the age of 16, he wanted to try something different and so, in 1989, he reported to his local recruiters on his motorbike to join as a Marine Mechanic. At that point, WOMT(P) Rangiwai had never been on a airplane. All he knew of Auckland was that it had a big bridge. And he had never seen a building over five stories high.

WOMT(P) Neil McIntosh has always been interested in two things – the military and the outdoors. He loved the ocean – whether it was fishing, diving or surfing. In 1998, he started considering where to go – he was interested in engineering, but Gisborne did not offer many opportunities. He simultaneously applied for courses to become a diesel mechanic and into the Navy. On a sunny day in mid-January 1999, WOMT(P) Neil McIntosh got a call – there was a Marine Technician position open, if he joined the next day. He has never looked back.

Petty Officer Communications Warfare Specialist Candi Fox grew up on a farm in Whangara. By the end of high school, she had already worked for many years in Burger King, and decided that a career in flipping burgers was not the way she wanted to go. A recruiter came to her high school gateway class, and after speaking to him for a while, he told her she would make a good communicator. Her flight to Auckland for training was also her first, and she has now been in for 10 years. She has served in Afghanistan where she touched snow for the first time. She has also brought many people into the Navy, including her cousin who joined as a Steward. She has influenced hundreds of recruits as a Basic Common Training instructor.

Able Physical Training Instructor Mahia Morton grew up on the Wainui beach. She had a good life growing up – beach and surfing. She didn’t know what she wanted to do after school – she didn’t want to go to university and get a large student loan. She was in a gateway class, and one

day POCWS Fox came to talk to about the Navy and APTI Morton was hooked. She knew she wanted to travel, and joined initially as a Hydrographic Surveyor.

Leading Stores Accountant Haylee Nuku didn’t know where the world was leading her – all she knew was the land she grew up on. She, like APTI Morton, knew POCWS Fox from before – she went to the same school as her sister. LSA Nuku wanted to gain some life experience. Her uncle used to be a chef in the Navy – he told her to join as a Stores Accountant. Her brother was an Army Movement Operator and had been posted to HMNZS CANTERBURY for several years. LSA Nuku couldn’t pass up the opportunity for sibling rivalry, and signed the dotted line.

Able Medical Assistant Max Neustroski went to his brother’s Basic Common Training graduation. His mother was a nurse and his dad was a policeman. He was interested in the military, and joining as a medic seemed to be the perfect fit. Growing up in Gisborne, he loved the ocean – he was a Surf Lifesaver, loved fishing and diving – so Navy stood out from the other services. He also decided he didn’t want any student loans, and the stars lined up. After Basic Common Training (where POCWS Fox was his instructor), AMA Neustroski and his brother both went to Christchurch to train as medics, and four years after joining, he is at sea.

Able Stores Accountant Sarah Puha grew up in the middle of nowhere, paradise, or Tikitiki to be exact. She didn’t know what she wanted to do, but she didn’t want to work in fast food any more. All her friends were going places, but her. Her sister was a Stores Accountant previously – ASA Puha knew that was logistics work, and joined. Now, a year and a half after joining, she has been many more places than her friends: Tokyo, Singapore, Guam and Cairns. Now she will add Hawaii and Canada to that list too.

Able Steward Journee Haapu, like POCWS Fox, was brought up in Whangara. In high school, he spoke to recruiters – he didn’t want to go to university, but wanted to explore the world outside of Gisborne. The recruiters recommended the Navy – it allows more travel than the other services – and now ASTD Haapu is loving every day.

What other small town origins does the Navy hold? What small town can advance New Zealand’s interests from the sea? Because Gisborne can!

FROM GisBORNe TO HMNZS TE KAHA

11NAVOSH TEAM

This article updates you about recent changes in the NAVOSH (Navy Occupational Safety and Health) Team. They are tasked with the promotion of a

healthy and safe working environment and the minimisation of injuries, occupational illnesses and environmental pollution. The team now has a good mix of military and civilian personnel.

commander ray mcLaughlin – Director naval safety and Health (DnsH)

CDR Ray McLaughlin has an extensive Marine Engineering background. Ray has served as Marine Engineering Officer in both HMNZS TE MANA and TE KAHA along with a variety of shore support roles. This includes the dual role of Logistics Command (Maritime) Fleet Engineer of Current Operations and Fleet Marine Engineer Officer.

commander Brett Fotheringham – Project manager safety management system (Pm sms)

CDR Brett Fotheringham is a seaman officer who led the review of Health and Safety for Navy following the External Safety Management Review and prior to the introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, which included the changes to establish the current NAVOSH structure. Brett is currently the Navy lead in the new NZDF Safety Reporting and Risk Management tool (SEMT) that will replace, among other systems, NSHAIR. He recently received his first clasp to his Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, signifying 30 years of service.

gerard Jackson – Health and safety manager (navy) Hsm (n)

Gerard Jackson joined the NZDF in 2007, working as the Health and Safety Officer at Kauri Point. Promoted to his current position in 2008, Gerard has a wide range of technical, chemical, management and governance expertise. His current projects include adapting a lean safety management approach into RNZN strategic planning.

Warrant officer Weapons technician nicholas rowe – Fleet operational safety officer (Foso)

The Fleet Operational Safety Officer (FOSO) is currently WOWT Nick Rowe. The FOSO assists Naval Force elements to develop, maintain and increase operational capability through safety standards and procedures. The FOSO supports Maritime Operational Evaluation Team and Chief of Staff for such purposes as Safety and Readiness Check, Command Inquiry, Court of Enquiry, Audit, Exercise Safety Officer and operational evaluation.

Previous positions held by WOWT Nick Rowe include Weapon Engineering Warrant officer in HMNZS CANTERBURY and Technical Seaworthiness Authority Deputy Combat System Engineer.

simon Poulter – Health and safety advisor (navy) Hsa(n)

Joining in 2015 Simon Poulter, Health and Safety Advisor HSA(N), has considerable engineering experience with the Dockyard, Apprentice Training New Zealand and Babcock NZ. Simon recently completed a Graduate Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety and Health and has a passion for working towards zero harm in our many and varied workplaces.

Kathy girdler – Health and safety advisor (navy) Hsa(n)

Kathy Girdler joins the NAVOSH team after previous roles at Ports of Auckland and Babcock NZ. Kathy’s expertise is vast and includes operational and hands-on experience gained from working in and around heavy machinery. After obtaining the National Certificate in Health and Safety Kathy is working toward a Graduate Diploma. Kathy promotes Health and Safety through the principles of open and honest discussion.

vanessa Wardle – safety Data coordinator sDc

Vanessa Wardle recently joined NAVOSH and brings to NAVOSH skills from an extensive background including the Construction/Engineering Industry, Management and the Health Sector. Vanessa’s qualifications include a National Examination Board in Occupational Health and Safety (NEBOSH) Certificate. The Safety Data Coordinator supports NAVOSH and other units with the provision of safety data, analysis and reports.

Unit Location

The NAVOSH team is now located in the William Sanders Building on The Promenade near the PHILOMEL Management Office.

NAVOsH WORKiNG TO KEEP NAVY SAFE

Above: Left to right: Simon Poulter HSA (N), Gerard Jackson HSM (N), CDR Ray McLaughlin, WOWT Nick Rowe FOSO, Vanessa Wardle SDC, Kathy Girdler HSA (N). Not pictured, CDR Brett Fotheringham PM SMS

contact

navosH can be contacted by: email: navosh@nzdf.mil.nz or phone: 09 445 5614 after Hours: 021 241 8480

12 COMFORT ON AOTEAROA

AOTeAROA AT seABy andrew Bonallack

The computer-generated renders are only representative, but they are the first tantalising look at what the future sailor can expect in terms of living

and working aboard the RNZN’s largest ship in history.

The new fleet replenishment tanker AOTEAROA, being constructed by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea, will have an internal fit-out with quality of life very much in mind, says Commander James Routledge, Capability Requirements Lead for the project. At first impression, the comfort and space of the accommodation and mess areas is obvious, but what is different is that the Junior and Senior Ratings’ facilities look much the same as the Officers’ surrounds.

“In the main, it’s all the same,” says CDR Routledge. “The brief we had with the then Deputy Chief of Navy directed that there should be an egalitarian approach to the design.” That includes a commercial-grade wool-mix carpet and leather upholstery for the Junior Ratings, Senior Ratings and Officers’ messes, which CDR Routledge points out is far more practical. “Sailors are renowned for testing the durability of furnishings. Previously we used a wool/polyester material, sometimes with a Scotch-Guard spray to protect it, but it was never very effective. Leather is both hard-wearing and easy to maintain – and very smart, too.” He stresses that the designs are early representations, to help with décor-related decisions, and the final product will look even better.

Junior Ratings’ cabins will have four berths, while Senior Ratings’ have two. The Chief Bosun’s Mate and Warrant Officer Marine Technician will have single-berth cabins, as

for all Officers’ cabins, apart from Junior Officer (Under Training) “Gun Rooms”, which are two-berth. All cabins have an ensuite. “They are all very well equipped. It’s been very carefully thought out. It’s going to be a very comfortable ship to serve in.”

For the first time for a New Zealand replenishment vessel, the Replenishment At Sea (RAS) parties will have a RAS Ready Room to store wet weather gear and prepare for underway refuelling operations. The space, which will include a toilet, shower and an area for briefings, is located right beside the deck where the RAS team carries out refuelling activities.

The ship will have a library and training centre, with eight workstations available for the crew. There is also a Role 1-equipped medical ward on board. Wi-Fi will be available throughout all recreation spaces, the Library, Conference Room and selected accommodation areas. The Commanding Officer’s accommodation incorporates a dedicated pantry, where a steward can receive meals from the Galley and Wardroom Pantry via a ‘dumb waiter’ system and pass through a serving hatch directly into the cabin’s dining area.

There’s also a gymnasium “…about the size of a small apartment”, CDR Routledge says. The days of physical training in a helicopter hanger should be gone, although he suspects the tradition may resume of setting up a running track that circumnavigates the ship, a distance of about 400 metres on the weather deck – a quarter-mile.

The Operations Rooms will have overhead displays, CCTV screens and a planning area with secure video conferencing

The junior rates mess.

13COMFORT ON AOTEAROA

Clockwise from top: The spacious bridge on AOTEAROA.

A junior rates cabin, with four berths.

Aotearoa at sea.

facilities. There is also a separate Conference Room facility used both as a formal place for the CO to entertain, but also providing the necessary connectivity for partner agencies, such as police or Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, to set up a dedicated operational space without interfering with the Ship’s own operational facilities.

Earlier this year CDR Routledge travelled to Antarctica on the OCEAN GIANT, a commercially-contracted heavy lift cargo ship, to gain experience of operations in Polar waters. AOTEAROA is designed to Polar Class 6 and it will, with appropriate ice breaker support, be capable of deploying down to Antarctica during the summer months. It is currently intended to conduct resupply operations of fuel, containers (and some passengers) to McMurdo Sound every other year in support of the government’s contribution to the Joint Logistics Pool of both the US and NZ Antarctic programmes.

He describes the spacious bridge as “a quantum leap in bridge design. To be honest, it’s going to be one of the most technologically advanced ships in the Navy in terms of communication and navigation”. In Korea, CDR Routledge has “walked” and “touched” some of the key working spaces, such as the Bridge, Ops Room and upper deck, using Virtual Reality, to check the anthropometric aspects such as being able to sit down in front of consoles and reach associated equipment.

The ship is planned for delivery in 2020 and scheduled for Operational Release in May 2021.

“It’s very exciting. AOTEAROA is going to be an outstanding ship, and it’s very special to be part of its design and build. My only regret is I’m too old to go back to sea; I would love to serve in this ship!” – CDR Routledge

14 MESTE SIMULATION

ViRTuAL ReALiTY in simulation futureBy suzi Phillips

Virtual reality technology is expected to be the next step forward in simulation training for marine engineers at Devonport Naval Base.

“We see the virtual machinery space (VMS) concept being part of formal training with access via an app for ongoing ‘anytime anywhere’ training being the next likely developments,” says Marine Engineering Synthetic Training Environment (MESTE) Manager Kevin Heveldt.

“A shift to supporting our missions by certifying our people in simulators, and using sea time to gain mastery and experience, resulted in the MESTE facility at Devonport evolving its training methodology and technology,” he says.

The MESTE already contributes significant time and cost savings to training not only our marine engineers but also non- engineers as first responders.

“We’ve removed about 75 percent of ship on-board training load and moved it into a safe and effective simulation training environment,” says Mr Heveldt. “That’s an average saving of about $60,000 per trainee in operational, maintenance and personnel costs by using MESTE, and VMS will improve that even more.”

The MESTE is used to train naval personnel in platform systems operation encompassing micro systems

(air, fluid, electrical and data), sub-systems (such as power, engines, refrigeration and sewage treatment), and main ship systems (such as electrical power, propulsion, and remote platform management).

The Navy’s marine engineers spend several blocks of time at MESTE as they go through their formal training. Basic simulator sessions during Branch Training are used to prepare them for the certifications and competencies that they need to attain later on.

“After branch training, they are selected for either Propulsion or Electrical specialisations and then go to sea for the first time,” says Mr Heveldt. “The simulator training helps them become more work-ready, starts to build their engineering professional identity and takes the pressure off their supervisors at sea. Virtualising the environment will better prepare them.

“Research into emergencies tells us that most errors occur because of poor communication between machinery spaces and the bridge team, so simple things like using our communications equipment in a low-risk environment builds confidence and situational awareness,” he says.

“Combining that with learning to operate equipment safely in the VMS means that simulation-based training helps to build competence for both standard operations but especially for responding to problems and emergencies,” says Mr Heveldt.

“We are training them for worst-case scenarios when they are at sea. At the MESTE we can easily introduce faults, including fire, flood or toxic gases, into the simulation to help them build schema in their heads about how to respond to these types of situations.”

Simulator training for higher level certifications, upskilling operators and conducting team training for Ships’ Companies are also where VMS will improve outputs. The current mixed model approach where competency is attained, but then assessed on board ships, will eventually evolve to assessing competency at the MESTE followed by a competency check when on the job.

With completely unmanned or attended machinery control rooms the concept of one person controlling many machines is becoming “no person controlling everything” so we need more highly skilled operators, says Mr Heveldt. Simulation-based training, including AR and VR is becoming the most efficient way of delivering this.

Above: An example of a MESTE screen, showing a virtual machinery space.

Left: LMT(P) Sam Shannon works the game console while in virtual reality within the Marine Engineering Synthetic Training Environment (MESTE).

15

By Lieutenant commander Paddy Baker

Every summer, the US and NZ Antarctic research stations at McMurdo and Scott Base are resupplied by sea. To accomplish this, the Icebreaker USCGC POLAR STAR conducts preliminary operations to open and maintain a channel through the ice for two merchant vessels to reach the outposts. Given the intent for our new Navy tanker AOTEAROA to conduct such resupply, I was the lucky soul attached to POLAR STAR for six weeks to see what it’s all about.

I joined POLAR STAR in Lyttelton on New Year’s Day with all the cold weather gear I could muster. Quickly I was initiated onto the ship and presented with the Ship’s

ball cap to make me feel right at home. During her short

BReAKiNG iCe, strengthening PartnershiPs

port visit, the crew of the POLAR STAR followed up on some good work from last year, where they assisted with the Port Hills fire efforts, by helping to replant some trees; something that they took great pride in and that was much appreciated by us Kiwis I’m sure.

POLAR STAR is a happy ship with a strong mission focus; both which I was told were tested with a particularly bumpy ride across the Tasman towards Lyttelton, though I couldn’t tell otherwise. Her crew is extremely professional, friendly and focused on this one essential mission – enabling access to McMurdo so that the vast majority of supplies can be transferred to Antarctica for the long winter. Without vulnerable luxuries such as bilge keels and stabilisers, POLAR STAR rolls at the hint of a swell but it is the lack of such items that means she can bring all 75,000hp to bear in the ice, and on 3 January we sailed due south to find some.

The voyage south through the roaring forties, furious fifties and screaming sixties was relatively uneventful. After four days we caught sight of our first ice – a large tabular iceberg subsequently named “Smithberg” after the first person to spot it. Soon we were within the pack ice “guarding” the Ross Sea and POLAR STAR started showing what she is capable of. Her ice belt of steel 44mm thick, weight of 13,000 tonnes and her three large propellers had us slowly steaming through ice that would tear a normal ship apart.

Above: POLAR STAR works its way through the Ross ice shelf to McMurdo Station.

Left: An Emperor penguin asserts his dominance over his Antarctic realm.

16 POLAR STAR VOYAGE16

After a week, I woke to see Mt Erebus staring at me through my scupper. We were at the fast ice edge (ice connected to land) where POLAR STAR would really earn her keep. We started cutting into the two-metre thick ice preparing a 13-nautical mile channel to McMurdo ice pier. The way an ice breaker works is by using its power and weight to break and move ice using a “sawing” motion where the bow rides up, the weight breaks the ice and the ship moves forward to start again. Under two metres thickness, the POLAR STAR could do this maintaining about two to three knots. When the ice got thicker, she would then back and ram the ice - basically doing the same thing with a bit of a run up. All the while inside the ship it was shaking like an earthquake.

One of the more unique tricks up POLAR STAR’s sleeve is that she can heave to in the ice, put a brow across and the crew can go “ashore” for a few hours to relax. Some people may dress up to celebrate, play some golf or American Football. Some will just take a chair down to relax with a book under the nose of Erebus, but it is one of the activities the crew likes most. This ability also means that helicopters can land next to the ship to transfer people or stores, which is also quite a unique sight.

Once the channel was cut, POLAR STAR berthed at McMurdo Ice Pier for 36 hours of R&R. As much as they could in Antarctica, the crew scattered to the four winds to run in the 5k, climb mountains or just explore, including getting to tour Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s Discovery hut. Standing since 1902, Discovery hut was the first permanent hut on Antarctica and has been preserved not only by the cold and ice, but by the good work of the Antarctic Heritage Trust. A number also made the trip over to Scott Base. The innovation on show at Scott Base is impressive. The way we have built a complex fit-for-purpose base, yet inherently comfortable and laid back, is something to be proud of.

After our brief run ashore, the crew loaded back on POLAR STAR and we went back out to manage the channel prior to the arrival of the two cargo ships. Escorting of the cargo ships was uneventful mainly down to the effort put into preparing the channel in the previous two weeks. At times, POLAR STAR was leading a fully laden cargo ship with barely 100 yards between our stern and their bow. This required precision and a vast amount of communication not only onboard but between the ships.

All too quickly our month in the Ross Sea was at an end, and it was time to head up to “tropical” Tasmania where I would disembark. My time onboard the POLAR STAR was awesome. Not only was the environment and job eye-opening, but the good-natured fun onboard made this Kiwi a little less homesick. I think that it will be a grand day when AOTEAROA operates with the United States Coast Guard for the first time and I encourage anyone wanting to see something unique to start looking forward also.

Above: LTCDR Paddy Baker on the bridge of USCGS POLAR STAR.

Above: POLAR STAR at McMurdo.

17CREWING THE FUTURE NAVY

By andrew Bonallack

It’s not about what you deliver on a daily basis. It what you do daily that delivers the right people for the Navy in 15 to 20 years’ time.

Newly promoted Captain Dave Fairweather is the Assistant Chief of Navy (Personnel and Training), taking over last month from Captain Richard Walker.

Curiously, it seems to be a role for Weapons Engineers. CAPT Fairweather is the third Weapons Engineer in a row promoted to the position of ACN(P&T), and the fourth in five appointments.

CAPT Fairweather was previously with the Maritime Operational Evaluation Team, looking after the readiness of ships and sailors as they prepared for operations. “I’m looking forward to this,” he says. “It’s an awesome job. I’ve wanted this job for some time. There’s been some very good people before me; I hope to be as good as them.”

It is an exciting time for the Navy, whether you are a new sailor or someone who has served a while. “It’s a balance of where we are best served now, and where we are best served in the future. There’s massive challenges in achieving 2025, in that we have to maintain the current fleet, but prepare the future fleet. And delivering this capability are the people needed to operate those platforms.”

He lists why the Navy will be an exciting place to work. “We are getting a state-of-the-art combat system with the Frigate Systems Upgrade, we have got up-to-date propulsion systems. We’re getting a replacement for MANAWANUI, we’ve got a brand new tanker coming up. This is a capability we have never had before.” In the meantime the Protector fleet will be in high demand. “The Offshore Patrol Vessels are the workhorses of the Pacific, and demand for them will outstrip supply. The Inshore Patrol Vessels play an important role around New Zealand. People sit behind all of these. They are the enablers of this capability.”

CAPT Fairweather will explore different ways to train, and smarter ways, he says. His time in MOET makes him a firm believer in training as you fight, and building automatic responses that represent real situations. He notes the lessons of the US Navy in their training space, in the separate collisions of destroyers USS FITZGERALD and JOHN S MCCAIN last year. “Navies around the world are grateful to the US Navy for their honesty. We will all take some lessons from it.”

Navy people do things the average New Zealander would struggle to fathom. “These moments, and the people you do it with, are what makes this organisation a great organisation. There’s no job in the Navy that is done solely by one person by themselves. It’s that shared experience that makes us bond.”

He has to condition himself to realise that it might not feel like he achieves anything in the short term. “I could set something in motion, but I won’t know if it worked for a good 15 to 25 years. What you set in place, you can’t see the effect, but you trust in your knowledge, your experience and the people around you, working on it.”

Diversity is important to him, and to the Navy. The best answers to problems come from the team with the mix of people, and that’s how great things happen, he says. “Diversity should be included in everything we do, because it helps us deal with the most important challenges. We need people with differing views, otherwise we will only ever come up with the same answer.”

He freely admits it’s a big job. “Some days I look at this and think, my God, how did I end up here? I can do this only because of the great bunch of people working for me. I see this job as a great opportunity to help make the Navy even more awesome. And the thought of the challenge to do that inspires me to work harder every day.”

Top of page: CAPT Dave Fairweather, the new Assistant Chief of Navy (Personnel and Training).

CReWiNG THe future naVY

18 OUR PEOPLE

01 02

03

0504

1. New Zealand Armed Forces Award awarded by Maritime Component Commander CDRE Jim Gilmour to No. 6 Squadron pilot LTCDR George Hahn during the Navy’s Fleet Shakedown Week. 2. SLT Thomas Dowling on the wing of HMNZS HAWEA during fisheries patrols in Northland. 3. Can TE KAHA’s CPOCSS Elton Pohatu figure out the movie title from prompts from his shipmates? 4. Seaman Combat Specialists aboard HMNZS TE MANA during work up exercises in Australia. 5. LTCDR Russell Metge, pictured with wife Chrissy, receives a MCC Commendation for his work during the RNZN International Naval Review in 2016. 6. OSCS Calvin Vandegeer helps prepare HMNZS WELLINGTON for Operation ENDURANCE in the

19OUR PEOPLE

06

07

09

08

10

Southern Ocean. 7. LWT Jordan-cooper Peters gets a closer look at an Oerlikon gun the Trade Training School is dismantling and cleaning up. 8. PODR Alan Holland, followed by LDR Carlos Mita ascend from the dive pontoon during promotional photography for HMNZS MATATAUA. 9. Congratulations to CDRE Dave Proctor (first clasp to the NZ Armed Forces Award – 30 years); LTCDR Letisha Fitchett (NZ Armed Forces Award – 15 years); CAPT Shaun Fogarty (first clasp to the NZ Armed Forces Award – 30 years), awarded at Freyberg Building. 10. SLT Pat Wells, RNZN receiving his Dux award for the RAN Engineer Officer Application Course 02/17 from Rear Admiral Colin Lawrence RAN, the Head of Naval Engineering.

20 DOG INSPECTION

Two furry four-legged pest detectives were hard at work on HMNZS CANTERBURY last month.

Terrier crossbreds, Indie and Pai, checked out the hotspots on the ship for any stowaway rodents before she left on Operation HAVRE, to resupply the Department of Conservation’s station on Raoul Island.

After a sweep of the galleys, stores and lounges on the upper decks, the specially-trained conservation dogs and their handlers, Hannah Johnston and Finn Buchanan, checked the DOC stores and gear as it was brought on board. No rats or mice were detected on the ship.

“Before the ship resupplies DOC’s station in Raoul Island it’s important to ensure the ship is pest free,” says DOC’s Conservation Dogs Programme manager, Sally Thomas. “This programme uses highly trained dogs and their handlers to detect NZ’s protected species or in this case, find unwanted pests.”

After checking out the ship, the dogs met Defence Minister Ron Mark on the wharf with other Ministers who were visiting Devonport Naval Base.

HMNZ HAWEA’s Ship’s Company joined forces with the PHILOMEL Civil Defence Reaction Group and environmental group Sea Cleaners to clear the Whangarei beaches and mangroves of rubbish this month.

The clean-up, part of Sea Week celebrations at Port Nikau, included the recovery of a Port

Channel marker that had been run down and was a danger to shipping.

At the same time HMNZS HAWEA held a Ship Open To View day, receiving over 500 visitors.

On her departure to resume fisheries patrols, HAWEA was escorted by two surviving predecessors, 75-year-old Harbour Defence Motor Launches PAEA and KUPARU (see launch story in Navy Today February page 33).

Right: PHILOMEL’s Civil Defence Reaction Group hauls a channel marker from the waters.

HMNZS HAWEA is escorted by HDMLs KUPARU (left) and PAEA.

Bottom left: DOC biosecurity ranger pest detection handler, Hannah Johnson, and her dog Indie, board HMNZS CANTERBURY.

Bottom right: Indie gives CANTERBURY’s cargo the once-over.

sea WeeK cLean-UP

Pest Free statUs For sHiP

21WO ANGE SCADDEN

By suzi Phillips

After more than a decade of working towards her goal, Ange Scadden is excited to be promoted to Warrant Officer (Electronic Technician).

“Since I was a Leading Hand I’ve believed I could do this and after a lot of hard work and a lot of help, here I am!” she says.

Acting Warrant Officer Scadden is the first woman in the Royal NZ Navy to be promoted to Warrant Officer in a technical trade.

She signed on in 2001 as a Combat Systems Operator and became an Electronics Technician, with her first posting straight on to frigate HMNZS CANTERBURY and away on exercise to Australia.

She is a frigate specialist, having served on CANTERBURY, TE KAHA and TE MANA, rising from ordinary rating to Petty Officer in that time.

“I attended both the Weapons Engineering School and the Command Training School and worked mostly as a maintainer on radar and navigation systems,” A/WOET Scadden says.

As a Chief Petty Officer, she joined the Leadership Development Group in 2012, conducting command courses, taking Able Ratings to Leading Hands, and Leading Hands to Petty Officer level.

“That was the highlight of my career, because I grew a lot and found it a very rewarding role,” she says.

A/WOET Scadden was then posted to HMNZS TE KAHA, followed by a year of study at Auckland University of Technology working towards her Bachelor of Engineering

Above: A/WOET Ange Scadden is the first woman in the Royal New Zealand Navy to be promoted to Technical Warrant Officer.

Technology. She has a few papers left to finish the degree that she has pursued, mostly part-time, during her career.

Her latest posting is to the Technical Seaworthiness Authority at Devonport Naval Base, which ensures the Navy follows best practice and industry standards in safety and regulations and that the ships are following policy.

“It’s quite a different role – not so hands-on with technology – but I’m excited to learn new skills and gain new knowledge. It’s been quite a challenge to start,” she says.

Warrant oFFicer First

neW Year, neW intaKe

Recruit Preeti Aryal, shortly to become Ordinary Electronic Warfare Specialist (pictured) gives

her oath to the Royal New Zealand Navy during the attestation of the Basic Common Training (BCT) 18/01 intake on 28 February at the Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy. This will be the first intake to use the MARS-L rifle and the first to contain a direct-entry in the Helicopter Loadmaster trade. This intake has people born in Hungary, Germany, United Kingdom, Tonga and China.

22

AN eNTeRTAiNiNG TiMe

Trombonist Hadyn Godfrey and tubist Fraser Robertson come from both ends of the musical spectrum, one from a professional freelance career,

and the other straight from school.

Able Musician Godfrey, from North Shore, has only been with the RNZN Band for a year, joining when he was 32. He was doing theatre work as a freelance musician in Auckland, and had previously met RNZN band trumpeter Petty Officer Musician Jo Spiers while studying for his Bachelor of Music at Massey. “It was the first week of university, I met Jo and we ended up doing a lot of work together. She said, come and join the band, but I was caught up with my studies. She checked in every so often, and in 2016, a job in the band came up. It was really well timed. I was ready for the next adventure in life.”

He likes having colleagues for the first time, and being part of something that evolves. A regular pay cheque is nice as well. “With freelance, you can see the potential, but they are fleeting moments. But with the Navy band, you have a really good sense of action and purpose. It’s the people. It’s a really fantastic team at very high level, who care deeply about what we do.”

Able Musician Robertson, Te Awamutu, came to the Navy Band straight from school, aged 17. “I was playing in a lot of school concerts, was in representative bands as a kid, and doing lots of tours. A friend suggested I look at the Navy band, and I went to a rehearsal.” Now in his seventh year, he says he has had an amazing time with the band.

“It’s taken me around the world. The friends you make, the people you meet. We do school concerts, and kids can’t believe you can have a job playing music. There are times when I sit down and just think: this is my job.”AMUS Godfrey has that moment all the time, he says. “We’re playing at the highest professional level. When you see everyone working their hardest, the music sounds great, and it’s really special being part of it.”

The hardest aspects are being prepared to have plans changed at a moment’s notice, such as the International Naval Review in November 2016, when events got reshuffled owing to the Kaikoura earthquake. “You’ve got to have your wits about you, and stay focused.” Other tricky aspects are getting rained on while parading, and keeping instruments polished and uniforms clean.

Musicians are Reservists in the Royal New Zealand Navy, and undertake the first eight weeks of Basic Common Training, rather than 18 weeks.

NAVY CAREERS

Regular and rewarding work are the goals of any professional musician.

That’s definitely the case for the members of the Royal New Zealand Navy Band.

As a Force for New Zealand we stand up for what is right. Force4nz.miL.nz

To apply, or to find out more information on a Technical life, trades and intake information, visit the Defence Careers website. DeFencecareers.miL.nz

Call to speak to an advisor: 0800 1 Force

FIND OUT MORE

11

Top of page: Royal New Zealand Navy band members AMUS Fraser Robertson, tuba, and AMUS Hadyn Godfrey, trombone.

23THREE FAREWELLS

art Deco FestivaLBy andrew Bonallack

HMNZS OTAGO couldn’t make the Tremains Art Deco Festival in Napier last month, with the Hawke’s Bay Today newspaper nicely summing up

the reason. “[She] has been called to do what the Navy did back in 1931 – assist and aid.”

OTAGO had been on her way to Napier to join HMNZS HAWEA in providing the Navy’s annual presence at the Art Deco Festival. But when Cyclone Gita struck Tonga, OTAGO was diverted to Devonport and placed on standby as a potential humanitarian aid and disaster relief response vessel.

The Navy has a longstanding relationship with Napier that dates back to the 1931 Napier earthquake. HMS VERONICA had been in the harbour when the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck on 3 February, and men from her Ship’s Company, and later from HMS DUNEDIN and HMS DIOMEDE, went ashore to do what they could to help Napier’s citizens.

Every year Napier invites the Navy to the Art Deco Festival, where sailors, officers and the RNZN Band parade in the streets, join the festivities and escort the ship’s bell of HMS VERONICA for a formal ceremony on Marine Parade, where the bell is sounded. Crew from HMNZS HAWEA attended these events, as well as the Thank God For The Navy formal breakfast on the last day.

Napier Mayor Bill Dalton says it was a shame OTAGO could not make it. “But the people of Napier fully understand. The Navy has a role in looking after people, they way they looked after us in 1931, the way they looked after Christchurch, or Kaikoura.” He says the personnel from HAWEA were “fantastic” and represented the Navy extremely well. “And, of course, the Navy Band – such an integral part of the festival.”

OTAGO’s absence meant the cancellation of a 1930-styled Charity Cocktail event on her flight deck, a function that raises funds for schools. Various businesses that sponsored the evening have since declined a refund, saying they want the money to benefit Tonga or be given to the schools earmarked to benefit from the event. David Conroy, of Conroy Removals, says they have enjoyed the Navy’s cocktail functions at past Art Deco events over the years and were happy to see their money go to a good cause.

Right: The last formal event of the Art Deco Festival, the ringing of HMS VERONICA’s bell in the Veronica Bell Sun Bay on Marine Parade.

Chief of Navy RADM John Martin is a guest at the Thank God for the Navy breakfast.

ACH Tia Rickards chats to an Art Deco devotee.

Even the dogs get behind the 1930s fashion of the Art Deco Festival.

The Navy Band march along Marine Parade.

24 TIME ON THE ICE

By Pomt(L) craig Julian

At the time of writing it is near the end of January, and the time for our departure from Antarctica is almost upon us. Most of us will be returning to New

Zealand, and Scott Base will be switching to winter mode, which means everyone is leaving except for a few hardy souls who will remain behind during the winter months to look after the base. We have had a good few months down here at the bottom of the world and there have been many interesting and memorable experiences that shall remain with me for quite some time. Far too many to mention here, but I will cover one or two.

Having a white Christmas was something a bit different. Christmas day was celebrated early down here on 23 December. With most of the scientists having returned home for Christmas the number of personnel at Scott Base was down to around fifty so it had quite a family feel to it. A huge feast with all the trimmings was prepared by the chefs, who did an amazing job. The whole base stopped for the holiday to allow everyone a two-day break together except all critical services, which includes the communications team.

The 24-hour daylight is something else that is also worthy of

note and does have its own benefits, such as that whatever time you finish work you can still go out for a walk and explore the local scenery without having to worry about it getting dark. A few of the local walks include going up Observation Hill to the memorial of Captain Scott’s polar party, which never returned, There is also the Castle Rock Loop which takes around two-and-a-half to three hours to complete, or to the square frame which is New Zealand’s southernmost bach, or over the hill to McMurdo Station which is the American base. We also have a ski field here, operated by Scott Base and complete with its own ski lift. It is normally open on a Wednesday evening and a Sunday afternoon, weather permitting.

As most people at Scott Base are beginning to wind down and looking forward to the return journey back to their homes and families in New Zealand, I will be taking a little time to appreciate and reflect on my time on this great white continent. This is my second deployment to Antarctica, and as I sit here and write this article I ask myself: would I like to come back? The answer to that question is definitely a yes.

When Defence Public Affairs photographer Leading

Aircraftman Dillon Anderson isn’t deployed capturing images of our Navy ships and personnel on exercise or operations, he turns his eye and camera lens to the animal world. He recently had his talent recognised when he was named winner of a

prestigious wildlife photographic award – and part of the prize was going on an African safari.

In 2014-2015 he lived in the Amazon for seven months. He set his sights on photographing a rare and elusive Margay cat, meaning he had to set up equipment in the Amazon forest and sit for hours each night for about a week.

“I found a place where I hoped the cat would be walking and spent some evenings with the set-up. I put a camera on one side of the tree, a flash on the other side and took a remote trigger with me a little distance away, but still able to see the area.

Above: LAC Dillon Anderson during Fleet Shakedown Week.

Right: A Margay cat, caught in mid-flash.

Above: POMT(L) Craig Julian with Mt Erebus in the background.

TIME ON tHe ice

“I waited a couple of hours every evening for about a week before getting the shot. I guess I’m a bit of a risk-taker, but at the same time I really wanted to get photographs while I was out there.”

The risk paid off and the stunning shot won the wildlife photo award. The $12,000 prize included an F-stop camera bag, a camera trap that is triggered when it senses the heat of an animal as it walks past, an exhibition of his photographs in New York and an African safari in Zambia for two.

LAC Anderson joined the Air Force in 2016. His photography for Navy Today includes 2017 cover images for February, June and August.

nzDF PHotograPHer’s taLent recogniseD

25TORBAY SCHOOL

The only child to make the top 10 of the AOTEAROA badge design competition received a special Navy thank-you for her efforts.

Mia Kordic, 11, of Torbay School on the North Shore of Auckland, got a surprise last month when Captain Garin Golding, the Commanding Officer (designate) of AOTEAROA, called in to acknowledge Mia’s top 10 badge design.

In front of a surprise assembly, and excited classmates, CAPT Golding presented Mia with her design mounted on special card and a letter from the Chief of Navy. “I was so pleased to make the top 10,” said Mia. “I didn’t expect this as well.”

Her design features the three largest mountains in New Zealand, with Aotearoa at its centre.

Last year her class entered the competition, encouraged by their teachers. In acknowledgement of the class’s effort, the school was presented with a Chief of Navy plaque, to be displayed at the school.

Top of page: Mia Kordic (centre) with the school mates who welcomed CAPT Garin Golding with a powhiri

Above: CAPT Garin Golding, CO of AOTEAROA with Mia Kordic and her design.

aotearoa to scaLeInspired by a Navy Today story, modelmaker Bob Talbot,

Tokoroa, has added AOTEAROA to his impressive collection of small-scale ship models. “A friend gave me a copy of Navy Today, and you had run an article on AOTEAROA. I got on to various people, and ended up with the plans from Hyundai Heavy Industries (the shipbuilders). I thought, I’m going to build this, and there we went.”

The model is 28cm long, making it a 1/600th scale. “It’s all hand-made, except the railings, which I bought. The crane can move in and out.” The retired marine inspector says he admires what the Navy does. “I hold them in high esteem. They need to be down on the Ross Sea and I admire what they are doing in the islands.” He has 40 other models, all glass-cased at his home.

SCHOOL ENTRY get navY tHanKs

26 MISSION COMPLETE, MANAWANUI

By andrew Bonallack

The decommissioning of a vessel is a chance to look ahead, and that was especially true for one officer among those saying farewell to HMNZS MANAWANUI at Devonport Naval Base last month.

Commander Martin Walker, a former Executive Officer in MANAWANUI (1998/99) is the Capability Integration Lead for the Diving and Hydrographic

Vessel (DHV) project.

He said the project aims to purchase a vessel to carry on the work MANAWANUI has done over the last 30 years. “We want to enable the NZDF to maintain its diving and salvage outputs required by Government. The vessel will also have the ability to conduct hydrographic operations and embark elements from HMNZS MATATAUA for specific tasking.”

It was a goal echoed by Rear Admiral John Martin, Chief of Navy, during MANAWANUI’s decommissioning ceremony on 23 February. “If serving in the Navy takes us to some of the most inhospitable places on the planet, then diving takes us one step further,” he told the assembled Ship’s Company and guests. “The need for this capability is great now, and we plan to fill this gap with new capability.” MANAWANUI made a name for herself as an Advance Force platform long before CANTERBURY and the OPVs came on the scene, and RADM Martin said the new ship would assist in advance force operations.

MANAWANUI’s formal farewell began with the lifing of her mauri, her life force, before dawn, with kaumatua Fred Holloway and Ship’s Company. As the ceremony concluded on the wooden dive deck, MANAWANUI began to creak and groan as the wake from a passing ship brushed her sides. Unlike the Protector-class vessels, and Anzac frigates, MANAWANUI is too old for the tradition of greenstone to have been placed on board. Nonetheless, her mauri will be transferred to Te Taua Moana marae, via a prayer intoned in front of the carving of peace.

Departing Commanding Officer Muzz Kennett farewelled his ship and Ship’s Company, describing MANAWANUI as “the little ship that keeps on giving. We’ve had great fun, delivered excellence, and I am proud to have been your Commanding Officer”.

The White Ensign and New Zealand flag were lowered for the final time as the band played the National Anthem, followed by the Ship’s bell, nameplate and symbols being brought to shore to the tune of E Pare Ra.

“HMNZS MANAWANUI will now decommission!” said LTCDR Kennett.

Well done, MANAWANUI. Mission complete.

THe sHiP THAT GAVe

From the top: Symbols of MANAWANUI are formally taken off the ship.

Kaumatua Fred Holloway lifts the mauri (life force) from MANAWANUI.

LTCDR Muzz Kennett, MANAWANUI’s Commanding Officer, hands his Symbol of Command to RADM John Martin, Chief of Navy.

27LT SHAW TRAVELS

By andrew Bonallack

Lieutenant Jess Shaw, Te Awamutu, joined the Navy when she was 18.

Seven years later, she bought a one-way ticket to India and kept going from there.

She wanted a perspective on her life. It was a chance to take a moment away from the sheer

pace of being a Naval supply officer from a young age, and consider that choice. She wanted to find her true map again.

After a year of no-timetable travelling, in T-shirts, baggy pants and hair that went from red to blue, LT Shaw has returned to the Navy feeling reaffirmed about her career and excited about opportunities the Defence Force offers. “I just wanted to make sure I was still on track. I had a limited view, and I wanted to see what I was capable of, without someone else setting the parameters. I come from a farming family, I had been toying with other career ideas, and I wanted to enjoy my career, not just qualify for it. I wanted to see if I was in the right head space, and travel is a good way to do that. I sold my house, and just took off.”

Her intention was to do some overseas work, but she says she simply didn’t stop travelling, from January to December last year, on leave without pay. “The Navy was amazing about it. My Commanding Officer and Career Manager were very supportive. I was single and wanted to make uncompromised decisions. I did it all on my own.”

LT Shaw spent four months in India before carrying on. “Highlights were going to the West Bank, and watching the sun rise over the Dead Sea. I watched whales breach in Iceland. I walked in the desert in Israel, did the Annapurna

sOLO TRAVeL PuTs LiFe iN ORDeRThe Taj Mahal in Agra, India.

Above: LT Jess Shaw in her “true colours”, blue hair and eyebrow piercing, on Vancouver Island.

Circuit in Nepal. I hitchhiked to a monastery in Burma, and I was the only westerner there. So I just did what the nuns did - got up at 3am and meditated.”

With just a backpack and no plans, she was grateful for generosity for transport and places to stay. “I once hitchhiked from Banff to Jasper [Canada], standing in the snow with my thumb out. It was a little bit scary, but I had faith that things would work out. Another time, I house-sat in Holland for two weeks, for distant family of an old neighbour of my dad’s.”

She learnt a lot about herself through travelling, she says. “People are just passing by, and you can continue to transform yourself without judgement or comparison. You don’t owe anybody anything. That was a hard lesson to learn, because I’m a people pleaser, very willing to be accommodating. But with travel, you only have a finite time. So if you don’t like someone, if you don’t enjoy the experience so much, you can literally get up and walk away. It makes you safer. If someone pulled over when I was hitch-hiking, I could say no.”

The only places she felt unsafe were Cairo and Paris. “Being a solo female in an Arab country has its challenges.”

28

She gained a lot of positivity about her body. “As a woman, I have always struggled with body issues. This allowed me to reconnect with my stance and views on feminism, and acccepting who I am.” On a more practical level, she learnt to be grateful for the durability of her body during sometimes arduous travel. “I can walk, eat, travel. I got sick and sore. My body put up with all I had put it through.”

She became a vegetarian, although she would not have a problem being a hunter/gatherer. “I feel more connectivity with spiritual beings on earth. I believe they have the right to a quality life, in the same way I believe in the right to quality of life for humans. Surely if you eat food that was an unhappy, unhealthy animal, that’s going to make you unhappy.”

Returning to the Navy, she says she feels empowered about her choices in life. “I’m going to be someone that seeks challenges, and I realise the Navy offers that. I have come back thinking, this is the place where I can continue to challenge, excel, and learn more about myself.”

From the top: LT Shaw and friends at the Thorong pass, in the Himalayas of Nepal (higher than Everest Base camp), part of the Annapurna Circuit which took 15 days to tramp.

A mixture of colour in Iceland

In front of the Sphinx in Cairo, Egypt.

LT Shaw poses for a photo in Cairo, Egypt.

Children in rural Myanmar.

LT SHAW TRAVELS

29RECOMPRESSION CHAMBER

The Navy has gifted its two-man Recompression Chamber to the Navy Museum after almost 20 years of service.

The two-man chamber, introduced for Navy divers in 1998, provided a deployable capability for divers who might require decompression in areas where the Navy’s larger six-man chamber could not get to. It was small enough to be underslung under a helicopter.

A recompression chamber stays on the surface in the vicinity of a dive, in case an emergency occurs. All going well, a trained diver will ascend from depth at a slow rate, including stops, to allow the reduction of internal pressure and prevent the build-up of bubbles of gas in his or her internal system. If a diver ascends too rapidly, and misses those stops, they risk decompression sickness. However, in an emergency a diver may have to be extracted rapidly from the water to save their life, and then can be placed in a recompression chamber to return their body to equilibrium.

“You have to rate the risk,” Chief Petty Officer Diver Bevan Wilson of HMNZS MATATAUA says. “If there’s a risk of dying in the water we get them out, put them in the chamber, and take it from there.”

The two-man chamber has been used in New Zealand on numerous body recovery tasks and was deployed in Tonga in 2009 as a Surface Decompression Asset while

ReCOMPRessiON CHAMBeR

conducting the reconnaissance of the PRINCESS ASHIKA disaster.

But the chamber no longer meets current diving regulations, he says. “It’s a very tight fit for two people, and diving has changed these days. It was deemed non-compliant in terms of operational risk.”

Last month it was formally handed to the Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy for display.

Above: The two-man Recompression Chamber.

Below: The Clearance Diving Group from HMNZS MATATAUA with Claire Freeman and Caroline Ennen from the Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy.

30 OLD GUN, NEW LOOK

The Navy have rescued a WWII-era 20mm Oerlikon gun from a RSA who have had to move.

The long-running Browns Bay RSA on the North Shore is relocating after their building went up for sale, but that left open what would happen to their Oerlikon

gun, mounted in the vicinity of the RSA for over thirty years.

Last month the Navy Trade Training School stepped in, with the instructors at the school seeing an opportunity to give their engineering students an interesting exercise in refurbishment, while helping out their community at the same time. It also helped that the vice-president of the RSA was a former instructor at the school.

Babcocks came to lift the gun from its pedestal and delivered it to the school to be stripped down and refurbished by Navy engineers.

Chief Petty Officer Marine Technician (Propulsion) Danny Mills says it is the sort of thing instructors like to tackle, and the task filled a useful gap in the Marine Technician and Weapon Technician training. They managed to obtain an Oerlikon manual from Kauri Point, but decades of outdoor living, paint and braising proved a challenge. “The paint is pretty thick, and there’s some parts braised and welded together. We’ll give it back to them when it looks good.”

The gun’s future is still up in the air. The RSA is preparing a deputation to their local council at the end of the month to keep the gun in Browns Bay, perhaps at the beach front. RSA Executive Committee member Donna Stewart is conducting a public opinion poll as well. “It’s an honour to have the Navy step in,” she says. “It’s awesome, it’s really

ResCueD FOR TRAiNiNG

appreciated. Having this gun allows us to appreciate what our ex-servicemen did for us.”

Plaques removed from this Oerlikon show it was last used on frigate HMNZS OTAGO up to November 1983, when OTAGO paid off. It is one of thousands mounted on all types of ships during WWII and after, and many of them were provided to RSAs for display with little in the way of record-keeping, according to Navy historian Michael Wynd. The guns were bolted on and off ships as needed, and during WWII many ships were unofficially fitted with them while on operations off Japan. The 20mm was found to be insufficient against attacking aircraft, with the 40mm Bofors making a better impression.

Top right: The Oerlikon gun is craned onto a Babcocks truck.

Bottom left: LWT Merck Pereira peers through the freshly cleaned sights.

Bottom right: LWT Merck Pereira, LWT Jordan-cooper Peters and POMT(P) Marcus Egan share the task of dismantling the Oerlikon.

30

31KIWI RELEASE

Navy recruits on night-time manoeuvres at Tamaki Leadership Centre may hear the sound of some new neighbours.

The Navy participated in the release of 20 Little Spotted Kiwi at the Shakespear Open Sanctuary, Whangaparaoa Peninsula, on 3 March. The

sanctuary is adjacent to New Zealand Defence Force land, where Basic Common Training and Officer training exercises are undertaken.

The release was Auckland Council’s second introduction of kiwi pukupuku to the pest-free sanctuary, following the release of 20 kiwi a year ago. Commander Quentin Randall, Commanding Officer of HMNZS PHILOMEL, led the Navy representation on the day.

Kiwi pukupuku are the smallest and second rarest species of kiwi. The 60 birds come from Kapiti Island and were transported by helicopter, plane and van to their new home. Auckland Council’s open sanctuaries senior ranger Matt Maitland says the kiwis are fitted with radio transmitters and placed in artificial burrows. The first 40 birds were well established and the new arrivals would be monitored daily until they appeared settled.

PARTNeRiNG WiTH KiWi

navY at tHe commonWeaLtH games

Navy Basic Branch Trainee, Ordinary Medical Assistant Tasmyn Benny, punched the air in joy last

month after learning she had been named in the New Zealand Boxing team for the Commonwealth Games. She featured in February’s Navy Today, following her graduation from Basic Common Training in December.

OMA Benny, who will be competing in the Women’s 48kg class, was stoked when she got the news. “Making the NZ Games team was a real goal of mine for 2018 and it’s been great having the support of Navy to help me get there.”

OMA Tasmyn Benny.

32

By miD Jessica Bewick

Joint Officer Induction Course (JOIC) is a tri-service initiative which was established in 2013. The purpose of JOIC is to facilitate inter-service networking, which

assists in pursuit of the NZDF mission of Joint Operational Excellence. JOIC brings together officer cadets and midshipmen for six weeks at RNZAF Base Woodbourne. The experience and expectations here provide, for some, their first taste of military discipline, and a new perspective on one’s purpose.

For myself, “Signing the Line” or in the words of the CFR’s (Commissioned From the Ranks), “Signing away my soul to the RNZN” was an easy choice. For others the magnitude of this decision to officially join the NZDF meant much contemplation and anxiety. Expectations of “Thrash” PT sessions, endless marching drill and total isolation from the outside world were some of the preconceptions. The reality is perhaps more terrifying; extensive legal obligations with corresponding discipline actions, exceptional standards of conduct, dress and cleaning, a thorough framework of

JOIC

FiRsT TASTE OF TRAININGpolicies, value adds and ranks. The extent of the former was a shocking discovery after signing the line only the day before, while the latter continues to provide a mental challenge as we look forwards to looming assessments.

With the broad array of lectures and lessons also comes a robust timetable of physical training. Facilitating much of this activity are the Physical Training Instructors, who lunge and squat nimbly between the lines of friend and foe. We were quick to learn that the consequences of poor discipline in front of a PTI are generally more draining than the PT itself. The dynamic nature of PT, the characterful PTIs and the feel-good kick you get afterwards has made PT a highlight of my JOIC experience. Additional strength conditioning has been provided through a gradual weight carrying plan. Terminator packs and webbing have become a familiar piece of equipment to the 112 JOIC Trainees. However, my favourite piece of equipment has been the MARS-L rifle with the Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight.

Over the course of JOIC we have completed two exercises and spent three nights at West Melton shooting range. We have experienced all nature of activities; from sleeping in hootchies (a one-person tent cover), carrying UNIMOG tyres and operating the shooting butts, to getting fixes on our location in the water, huddling together for a night in the bush and completing the Annual Weapon Qualification. At the time of writing there is one exercise remaining, which will be at Dip Flat. It will involve tactical field execution and land navigation. I am excited to meet this challenge and put the skills we have learnt as a collective to the test.

The most powerful feeling I have experienced during JOIC is pride. Joining the NZDF, becoming an officer and working together to rise above challenges was no doubt a common goal amongst the JOIC trainees. Now, standing shoulder to shoulder in uniform, as comrades, as a force for New Zealand, I feel pride and anticipation for what our careers

The JOIC intake at West Melton.

Left: JOIC officer recruits fix their position on the harbour.

33

NZDF WOMEN’S SEVENS

WOMEN’S SEVENS

By aircraftman Hayley Hutana

We recently took part in the inaugural Invitational and NZDF Women’s Sevens Tournaments.

For the Invitational event, three teams assembled at Trentham Military Camp. The teams, split by region rather than service, were Northern/Auckland, Wellington and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces team.

We each played four games throughout the day in scorching conditions. The final was between Wellington and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. It was a really hard fought battle, with the Japanese side snatching a 19-12 win in the last 60 seconds.

From this tournament, an unofficial NZDF Women’s Sevens side was selected. We travelled to Auckland and were invited to play a feature game against the Japanese team at the National Club Sevens Tournament. This game proved to be a very special match, the first NZDF Women’s international fixture.

On game day we had two very special sportspeople meet us for our jersey presentation, Sky Sports commentator Karl Te Nana and New Zealand Black Ferns sevens player and Olympian Tyla Nathan-Wong.

We travelled to the stadium, with excitement levels high. It was a wet Auckland day, which was taken into account for our game plan. After a short and sharp warm up, we took the field ready to sing our National Anthem.

At the sound of the whistle, it was all go. We managed to take the lead early, with a try scored by Aircraftman Hayley Hutana within the first two minutes. Then late in the first half Petty Officer Physical Training Instructor Raelene Olsen broke numerous tackles and offloaded to Staff Sergeant Bertha Ruha, who dotted down to give NZDF a 10-0 halftime lead.

About three minutes into the second half Corporal Wairakau Greig scored a brilliant individual try, which was converted to stretch the lead to 17-0. Japan scored in the last 30 seconds to make the final score 17-5.

History was made, first by this match being played, and to top it off by being presented with the trophy. We know that this is only the beginning for Women’s Sevens in the NZDF.

if you would like to join the resurgence of nzDF Women’s rugby, just like ac Hutana and cPL greig, contact the oic Women’s rugby, PLtoFF H. shaw.

PLtoFF shaw will be able to put interested personnel in touch with their local Women’s rugby representative.

will entail. Although there is still a long way to go it is undeniable that, through the capable direction of the JOIC Staff, the 18/01 Officer Trainees have become a more knowledgeable and more resilient team.

At the end of JOIC 18/01, when we disperse into our single service training phases, it will not be the end of the JOIC team. I will look forward to seeing my fellow comrades again. Whether it be through work, play or otherwise, the networks and relationships which have been established will keep us united. From JOIC I hope that any and all past and future officers and staff will look back with pride and satisfaction towards their efforts.

Top of page: Operating the targets at the West Melton shooting range.

Above: The hard slog is on, including tyres as part of the load.

34 TOWER DE FORCE

Top of page: CPOWT Mark Geor (left) with Navy team members during a training session at the top of Sky Tower last year.

Above: CPOWT Mark Geor rapidly descends the Tower via the stairs.

It’s not every day you answer a call that takes you more then 300 vertical metres above the streets of Auckland city.

When I joined Babcock, I considered that my time in the Royal New Zealand Navy would be of benefit. The Dockyard Maintenance Contract (DMC) had recently been signed, committing Babcock and the Navy to five years of working alongside each other. For me this was a chance to stay in contact and work alongside friends and collegues that I have known for near on two decades. Being part of an organisation like the Navy has been a privilege and knowing I could still support the function that they play in respect to New Zealand’s defence, diplomacy and disaster relief was encouraging.

As a Naval Reservist, I have continued to play a small role in the Navy for short periods of time, assisting when possible. However, the phone call I received on a Tuesday morning last year was a new one for me. Chief Petty Officer Seaman Combat Specialist Mark Latu was on the line, asking if I could join a Navy team taking part in the inaugural Tower de Force. It would require that I climb 91m from the 61st floor to the top of the Sky Tower aerial, 328m above the streets of Auckland city, and then run back down to the ground floor as fast as my legs would carry me. The first training session started in two hours, so he needed a quick answer. They say fortune favours the bold, and I must also be partial to a bit of a gamble, because I said yes and within the hour I had obtained approval, giving me enough time to catch a RHIB across the harbour.

Sponsored by the Auckland RSA, Sky City and the New Zealand Defence Force, Tower de Force has been created to help support the Annual Poppy Day Appeal,

by raising funds for our New Zealand Veterans (past and present), their families and dependents. This challenge pits team against team from military and civilian organisations in a concourse-like challenge utilising the Sky Tower.

The line-up of teams included the Army, Navy, Air Force, Veterans, St Johns and Sky City. The teams were made up of six people who all take part in different sections of the event. High winds on the day meant the abseiling section was cancelled and the flag was required to be carried all the way down to the ground floor via the stairs. The challenge was staggered with each team starting 15 minutes apart. This added another level of intensity to the course because it prevented each team from being able to gauge their progress in comparison to the other teams, and meant all teams taking part had to show great commitment and determination throughout the event, giving it their all from start to finish.

I am proud to say Navy won the event last year. Every member in the team pulled out all the stops and by the end we had amassed a commanding lead of over seven minutes between us and the Air Force who took second place. The Navy team’s time overall was 29min 49sec.

Last year Petty Officer Weapons Technician Mark Geor climbed to the very top of Sky Tower to retrieve a flag in the Tower de Force. He’s doing it again this April, and talks to Navy Today about his experience.

ONCe MORe TO THe TOP

35UNITED STATES TRIP

By miD Brittany glanfield

On 12 December I hear a pipe over HMNZS HAWEA’s main broadcast. “Midshipman Glanfield to report to the bridge.” When I reach the bridge I’m informed,

“You’re going to the United States”. Five weeks later I’m attending the United States Naval Academy (USNA) Leadership Conference.

Within 30 minutes of arriving at the Naval Academy I found myself sitting down for dinner with 4000 midshipmen and being addressed by the United States National Security Advisor, Herbert McMaster. The leadership conference was held over four days and had a variety of US military and civilian speakers. With the overall theme of the conference being “obstacles are opportunities”, topics such as “challenging the status quo” and “leading through adversity and hardship” were discussed. The amazing line-up of speakers included former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former Vice President Dick Cheney, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy and author Simon Sinek. Key themes throughout the conference included emphasis on mentoring, as well as finding a style of leadership that is authentic to you. A quote one of the speakers used that I feel embodied the key elements of the conference was: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more and become more, you are a leader” (President John Quincy Adams).

During the conference I stayed at the academy in Bancroft Hall, the biggest single dormitory in the world. I shared a room with three senior midshipmen and got a taste of what life is like for midshipmen in the United States. The size of USNA was the most obvious difference to the RNZN Officer Training School, but there were other differences, including the duration of training at the academy (four years) and how midshipmen work towards and gain a degree at graduation. The conference was also an opportunity to meet midshipmen from other navies – participating navies included Belgium, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan and England.

After the conference I was given the opportunity to spend time at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington DC with the NZDF attachés posted there. This was an amazing experience because it allowed me to witness the diplomacy that the NZDF does internationally to build and maintain relationships with other countries. During my stay in Washington DC I had the opportunity to experience other aspects of the US military by going to the Pentagon, the

Naval Observatory, and Naval Station Norfolk, a United States Naval Base in Virginia, to visit a German F124 Sachsen-class frigate.

The trip to the United States was amazing. I learnt so much from the conference and the attachés at the New Zealand Embassy. I never would have thought I would have had an opportunity like this so early after graduating JOCT 17/02. I am so grateful that I was given this opportunity and I look forward to implementing and sharing what I have learnt in the next stages of my career in the RNZN.

NOTiCesChallenge yourself

“Code of Conduct After Capture” Instructor Selection Course 18/01. Nominations are now open for selection course 16 – 23 April and Instructor Course 9 July. Open to all RNZN officers and Able Rates and above. How would you cope? Could you train others to survive with honour? For more information contact: CAC.Recruiting@nzdf.mil.nz.

The Wild West Comes to Pegasus

A Wild West themed party (dressing up is not compulsory) will be held at HMNZS PEGASUS, 419 Montreal St, CHCH on Saturday 21 April 1900 – 2359. Cost of tickets $20.00 per person, includes supper. Photo booth, Line Dancing Lesson, comp drink & amazing band. tickets available from Di Fowler (dianne.fowler@NZDF.mil.nz) or WOEW Roger Sheehan (roger.sheehan@NZDF.mil.nz). Prizes for Best & Original Costumes.

Class of January 1969 Reunion

auckland January 25 – 27 2019. Registrations by 1 June. contact: Bill Peni at williiamp@yahoo.co.nz or 0210 630 577; or Iain Stewart iain.stewart@zinfragroup.com.au or 0274 523 358

Historical information wanted

Historian Colin Campbell is seeking personal accounts for RNZN personnel who served with the ANZUK Force in Singapore forty years ago or more, for a written documentary on ANZUK. contact: colinrcampbell@bigpond.com.

LeADeRsHiP iN the uniteD states

36

Cheer on New Zealand military and emergency response teams as they compete in this exciting urban relay challenge. Show your support for the teams and give

generously to our past and present New Zealand veterans this Poppy Day.

Friday 20 April 2018 2pm–5pmSky Tower & SKYCITY Plaza

To make a donation: aucklandrsa.co.nz/towerdeforce/

skycityauckland.co.nz/TowerDeForce

2018

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