Reception to Celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Royal New Zealand Navy

Mihi and acknowledgements
E nga mana, e nga reo, nga rangatira o Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa, nga apiha me nga toa o Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, E huihui nei, tēnei aku mihi māhana ki a koutou, kia ora tātou katoa.  Distinguished guests, leaders of the New Zealand Defence Force, officers and sailors of the Royal New Zealand Navy, ladies and gentlemen a very warm welcome, greetings and good health to you all.

I would like to acknowledge especially, Hon Dr Wayne Mapp, Minister of Defence; Rear Admiral Jack Steer, Vice Chief of Defence Force; Rear Admiral Tony Parr, Chief of Navy; Air Vice Marshall Peter Stockwell, Chief of Air Force; Major General David Gawn, Commander Joint Forces; The Very Reverend Frank Nelson, Dean of Wellington.

Lady Janine and I welcome you to Government House for this reception to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Royal New Zealand Navy.  This is the first major reception we have hosted at Government House in Wellington since I was sworn-in as Governor-General a month ago and so the occasion is a special one.  However, the occasion is also special for two other reasons.  First, because it is for one of our Armed Services, in this case the Royal New Zealand Navy.  Secondly, because it’s good to see so many familiar faces and friends from the New Zealand Defence Force and wider Defence and Security community. 

The reception this evening marks the start of a week long celebration that will include the presentation of a new Queen’s colour, a fleet review and laying-up of the current Queen’s colour.  To that end, my comments will be about how I think our Navy connects to New Zealanders and the importance of the heritage that it holds.

From the outset, let me say that while I respect those who choose to go to sea, I’m very much a “land lubber”!  My memories of my association with the Navy and with the sea are enduring and fond—well, mostly! 

I recall an overnight trip aboard one of our ANZAC frigates.  I received lots of good advice from the VCDF, especially on how to avoid being sea sick—he had good experience to share.  I wore patches all over the place to prevent any “unfortunate incidents”.  I remember the change as we left the relative calm of Wellington Harbour and entered the Cook Strait.  According to the ship’s company, it was only a little choppy—I remember huge seas!  I managed to keep myself intact despite the efforts of the ship’s Engineering Officer giving me a guided tour of his hot, dank, fuel-smelling engine room!  The VCDF didn’t alert me to that opportunity!

New Zealand and the sea
On a more serious note, author Maurice Shadbolt wrote: “New Zealand begins with the sea and ends with the sea. ....The thundering surf is our frontier.”  We are an isolated island nation.  The history of New Zealand is very much a maritime history.  Our Māori and British heritage, our stories of discovery, trade and people are linked to the sea – Māui, Cook and Blake. 

Our ancestors came here by sea.  In my case, on Te Arawa waka on one side and the sailing ship, Katherine Stewart Forbes in 1841, on the other.

In contemporary times, our peace, livelihood and future prosperity depends on the sea.  New Zealand possesses the world’s 5th largest exclusive economic zone, and our seas are rich in food, minerals and other resources.

History of the RNZN
As to why we are here tonight, history records that 70 years ago, on 1 October 1941, my predecessor, Sir Cyril Newall, signed an Order-in-Council establishing the Royal New Zealand Navy and effectively disestablishing the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy. 

The change in 1941 recognised the self-sufficiency and maturity of our Naval capability and yet we stood firmly alongside Britain and the Royal Navy in a world-wide war.

The Naval Defence Act 1913 had established New Zealand’s Naval Forces, and in 1921 the Royal Navy formally established the New Zealand Division.  In its short 20-year history, the New Zealand Division had performed with honour, distinction and valour.  

One of the first tests for the New Zealand Division had not been in battle, but in responding to an emergency at home.  On 3 February 1931, a massive earthquake struck Napier, killing more than 250 people and destroying the city.  The ship’s company from HMS Veronica, which was alongside when the quake hit, provided medical assistance and took a major part in the relief work.  It was Veronica’s radio that raised the first call for help.

That call was answered the following day by the cruisers Dunedin and Diomede.  The Navy’s rapid response earned it the heartfelt affection of the people of Napier and the praise of all New Zealanders.

Eight years later in October 1939, New Zealand sailors were in the thick of the war, on board the New Zealand cruiser HMS Achilles. Together with HMS Exeter and HMS Ajax, Achilles fought the Graf Spee in the Battle of the River Plate.  The scuttling of the German pocket battleship, was one of the few Allied victories in the early years of the war. 

The Second World War was a turning point for New Zealand’s Navy.  It entered the conflict as an adjunct of another nation’s navy with 14 ships, and emerged as a national service dedicated to protecting New Zealand’s maritime interests and 60 ships.

Role and importance
Today, the Royal New Zealand Navy plays a key role in projecting our nation’s values and protecting our strategic interests in the Pacific and further afield. 

Grey naval vessels add presence wherever they are deployed.   From a personal perspective, when I commanded the Truce Monitoring Group in Bougainville in 1998, I relished using HMNZS Manawanui to travel to outlying islands.  Her visible grey presence offshore projected a stong sense of purpose and authority.

In recent times, New Zealand ships have participated in security operations in Asia and the Arabian Gulf.  Defence diplomacy and working with other navies extends New Zealand’s reach.  Sailors working alongside counterparts from the Army and Air Force as peacekeepers in some of the most inhospitable of places, extend the reach of the Defence Force.

The completion of Project Protector has meant a more versatile Navy, better equipped to deliver on New Zealand’s interests, especially in the Pacific.  And we have seen the Navy playing its part in the community.  Like HMS Veronica in Napier in 1931, HMNZS Canterbury played a key role in supporting the community and the people of Lyttelton in the immediate aftermath of the tragic and devastating earthquake in February earlier this year.

Conclusion
If the opportunity arises, as was the case with several of my predecessors, I look foward to journeying to the far flung parts of the Realm of New Zealand with the Royal New Zealand Navy.  Based on my previous experience, my preference is to travel aboard HMNZS Canterbury, rather than Manawanui!

I mentioned at the start of my comments that I wanted to say why I think the Royal New Zealand Navy resonates with New Zealanders.  It is because New Zealanders look back with pride on the heritage the Navy represents, and the service to New Zealand and New Zealanders that it has given at home and abroad.  How it views itself, “kia mau mana motuhake e te taua moana o te ao – to be the best small nation navy in the world” reflects how we as a people and nation aspire to be in the future. 

In conclusion, I congratulate the Royal New Zealand Navy on reaching this significant anniversary milestone. 

I will close with a prayer from Sir Francis Drake:

Lord grant us the grace to serve, the will to strive, the courage not to yield.

No reira, Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.