Speech at HMNZS Ngapona Mess Dinner

Lieutenant Commander Bob Mohammed, Mess President, officers of HMNZS Ngapona:

Thank-you for inviting me to address this Mess Dinner - an invitation I am very pleased to accept as both Minister of Defence and local MP, but one I suspect would not have been extended to me in my former capacity as a Captain in the New Zealand Army Reserves!

This year is a significant one for the Naval Reserves and indeed the Navy as a whole, as it marks the 70^th anniversary of one of your service's finest hours, the Battle of the River Plate. You will all be familiar with this story of courage and daring, as three cruisers took on the Graf Spee, bringing her buccaneering days to an end. Coming as it did during the "phoney war", it served as a morale boost that let the world know that the Germans could not sail the oceans with impunity.

There is another lesser-known but in some way more poignant anniversary that we remember in a few weeks - the 68th anniversary of the sinking of HMS Neptune, mined in the Mediterranean. One hundred and fifty New Zealand sailors died when the Neptune went down, making this by far the blackest day in New Zealand's naval history. There were 80 men of the Naval Reserve aboard the Neptune, 28 of them from Ngapona. We remember them.

These two events, one successful and the other a tragedy, show that our sailors have been an important part of forging and maintaining New Zealand's proud military tradition. It is a tradition that continues to this day. Just the week before last, I welcomed HMNZS Canterbury home on her return from Samoa, where she had carried aid and supplies to help the islanders rebuild their shattered villages and businesses, and returned with soldiers, airmen, and equipment that had been used in the clean-up.

As you will know, we are currently in the middle of a Defence Review that will culminate in a White Paper early next year. It has been twelve years since the last review, and in that time the world we live in and the requirements that we make of our armed forces have changed a lot. In particular, the scourge of terrorism and civil unrest has seen our service men and women deployed across the globe on an ongoing basis.

We participate in these global operations because terrorism affects us here in New Zealand. Since 11 September 2001, seven New Zealanders have been killed in terrorist attacks. More have been injured. We do not believe that we should stand aside and ignore the threat.

We have also been heavily tasked in operations closer to home, such as in Timor-Leste and the Solomons. If we do not take a lead in helping our Pacific neighbours, then who should? They look to us for support. It is significant that many Reserves have been involved in all these operations.

I cannot at this stage predict the outcome of the Review. Intensive studies around capabilities, organisations and infrastructure are being undertaken. We are looking for the most effective use of scarce resources. I can, however, share with you some trends that are becoming clear.

The importance of a "blue water" Navy has been reinforced. It is not our intention to go down the Coastguard route. Our services need to be trained and equipped for combat as well as a host of other tasks. They also need to be able to operate far from home, either independently or as part of a larger combined force. The RNZN is often a very visible expression of New Zealand's willingness to participate in regional and global security.

The Navy has also been at the forefront of embracing what I call the "hi - lo" concept. The frigates and tanker form the "hi" part of this mix. The Protector fleet is the "lo" portion.

This should not be taken as a denigration of the Protector ships. I have already spoken of the role of the Canterbury. One of my major objectives for this year was to sort out the difficulties around the Protector contract and get the other ships delivered. The four IPVs are now in service. We are also on track to take delivery of the two OPVs.

The value of these ships is that they can perform many essential naval functions at far less cost, both capital and operating, than traditional naval combatants. We are inclined to think of the IPVs as small. In fact, at 55 metres and 340 tonnes, they are a very useful size. Anyone who spent time at sea on the old Lake class patrol vessels, or the inshore training craft, will find these IPVs a revelation in performance. As the Navy get used to them, I suspect we will find that they have a far greater range of uses than originally envisaged.

One key benefit of the IPVs and OPVs will be to give command and other leadership opportunities to a range of officers and sailors. Most people who join the Navy look forward to some sea time. The scope offered by the seven Protector vessels is already showing benefits in recruitment and retention.

These benefits extend to the RNZVR as well. The Protector vessels have dedicated Reserve berths available. The transition of the Reserves from "weekend sailors" to a more integrated role within the Navy is enhanced by the greater numbers of more capable and versatile ships that Protector has given us. The Review will be carefully examining how this Reserve role is working out in practice, and whether it meets the needs of today's Navy - and today's sailors. I am sure you will give me further feedback this evening.

The Review is also looking further ahead. Although the Anzac frigates are still relatively new, we have already undertaken a systems upgrade and are considering the next stage of the upgrade process. We are also looking ahead to their eventual replacement. Although that is many years away we have to carefully plan future procurement so that Governments over the next couple of decades do not get handed a "poisoned chalice" of aging assets across all services that are needing to be replaced at the same time. The inevitable result of that approach, which we have seen in the past, is that capabilities get reduced or eliminated.

We are also looking at replacing the Endeavour and how we can best manage the other support ships, especially the Manawanui and the Resolution.

You and I both know the challenges we face in ensuring that our limited budget gets stretched as much as possible. The Navy has met many challenges in the past and come through with flags flying. I am confident that the value of the Navy to New Zealand will be reflected in the Review, and that your service and that of your predecessors will be acknowledged through ensuring that the Navy can continue to keep to its stated goal of being "the best small nation Navy in the world".