40th Anniversary Reunion -
It is proposed to hold a Reunion at Labour Weekend 2011 in Christchurch to celebrate the 40th anniversary of HMNZS Canterbury. Registrations of Interest in the first instance to the Secretary please at ajkildare@xtra.co.nz
July/August - July history here and August history here.
June - June History here.
7th May
1. Monthly history for May
April
1. Monthly history for April
March 2009 - monthly history for March
21st February 2009
New pictorial website for RNZN - upload your own photos to the appropriate albums here - there are several albums covering all classes of ships and miscellaneous for non-ship. Please note that there are two pages.
20th February 2009
Minister launches VANZ Case Management operation
10 February 2009
Veterans’ Affair Minister Judith Collins today launched operations of a dedicated case management team at the Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand (VANZ) office in Hamilton.
“The case management team will provide a one-stop service for VANZ services to veterans and also help them access services provided by other government departments and service providers,” Ms Collins says.
“This is a significant step towards total case management of veterans by VANZ.”
The VANZ office at Hamilton was formerly the War Pensions section of the Ministry of Social Development. It was transferred to and absorbed into VANZ in July 2008 as a consequence of VANZ restructuring.
A major part of the restructuring was the move to a total case management model for the provision of services to veterans. At the time of integration there was an established case management team based in Wellington. The establishment of the Hamilton team now allows for the move to total case management to be achieved.
In addition to the case management function, the VANZ office at Hamilton will have an accounts payable section, administrative support to pension claims panels, a mail and file registry for the management of correspondence with veterans and external service providers (primarily medical service providers), and a National Enquiry Centre. The office will also provide training and quality assurance.
Today’s launch is the first of two stages in the establishment of the case management team at Hamilton. The office will be at full strength with 10 case managers in mid-March.
Veterans will be assigned a case manager who will help them through the pension claims process, ensure they receive all services they are entitled to and act as a link between veterans and service providers.
Media contact: Stefan Herrick. +64 4 817 9809, mobile: +64 21 748492.
February 2009 - monthly history for February.
January 2009 - Welcome to the New Year.
1. Starting this month, Naval history will be presented on the website, courtesy Lt Cdr Gerry Wright, RNZN Rtd. This can be viewed at this site here - just read along the menu to view the months.
2. Navy seamanship found wanting (Updated January 2009)
The Royal New Zealand Navy says it has to teach its sailors to be better seamen following a review of its seamanship by Royal Navy experts. (Read last paragraph of this article)
The review was sparked by the death of Byron Solomon when an inflatable boat on the HMNZS Canterbury capsized.
Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral David Ledson, says a number of improvements are to be introduced to training and the conduct of exercises at sea as a result of the review which was he initiated earlier in the year.
Ledson says the review identified shortcomings in the way the RNZN currently trains its personnel in seamanship.
"Being able to do seamanship the safe way and the right way is fundamental to the Navy being able to operate its ships at sea - around New Zealand and further afield," says Ledson.
He says he will soon appoint an officer who will be responsible for re-establishing seamanship as a core Navy skill and with implementing all the recommendations of the review.
The Commanding Officer of each Navy ship has been directed to review their current practices in line with the Royal Navy review and a Petty Officer Safety Course will also be developed.
Ledson says the RNZN initiated the review after a Court of Inquiry into the death of Solomon made a number of observations about seamanship.
While the observations did not contribute to the capsize incident, they did identify issues around the conduct of seamanship training, competencies and practices in the Navy, he says.
Unfortunately, the RNZN has gone the way of running the navy on Merchant Ship practices - minimum crews where possible. Only five seamen are posted to each of the major ships and most seamanship evolutions are carried out by crew members of different trades. For example, on HMNZS Canterbury when "Away seaboats crew is piped" the Chief Chef throws off his apron and dons a lifejacket to become the coxswain of the boat!
Navy struggles to get enough sailors to keep ships at sea
HMNZS Te Mana has 163 crew but the Navy is struggling to get sailors.
The navy's top brass has warned the service is struggling to find enough sailors to keep its ships at sea.
Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral David Ledson, said some branches of the navy were already "in a very delicate position with only a few people being the difference between a ship having to stay alongside in Devonport or being able to go to sea and do its job.
"This situation is placing the navy and sailors under real strain," he said in the latest issue of the navy magazine Navy Today.
Admiral Ledson said the navy faced two big challenges this year.
The first was to keep its existing fleet of eight ships at sea.
The second was to get the seven new ships being built under the $500 million Project Protector programme to sea "and to keep them there."
The first of the seven new ships, the multi-role vessel
It had a crew of 63 but could also accommodate 35 trainees.
Admiral Ledson said the biggest challenge was getting the right people in the right places.
The navy is understood to be losing sailors at an alarming rate, possibly three or four a week.
However, Admiral Ledson said the upside of the staff shortage was the commitment of sailors to help resolve a "critical" problem.
"With sailors such as these there is no doubt that it is within our reach to be the best small-nation navy in the world." he said.
The navy's eight existing ships are:
* HMNZS Te Kaha, Anzac frigate, 3600 tonnes, 163 crew;
* HMNZS Te Mana, Anzac frigate, 3600 tonnes, 163 crew;
* HMNZS Endeavour, fleet replenishment, 12,300 tonnes (laden), 49 crew;
* HMNZS Resolution, survey ship, 2262 tonnes, 18 crew;
* HMNZS Manawanui, dive tender, 911 tonnes, 24 crew;
* HMNZS Kiwi, HMNZS Wakakura and HMNZS Kahu, inshore patrol craft, 91 tonnes, 16 crew.
The seven new Project Protector ships are:
* HMNZS
* HMNZS
* HMNZS Taupo, HMNZS Rotoiti, HMNZS Pukaki, HMNZS Hawea; inshore patrol vessels, 340 tonnes, 20 crew.
As at May 2009, the RNZN is still trying to boost its numbers by recruiting personnel from the dwindling RN!!
bravenet.com