Royal New Zealand Navy
| Royal New Zealand Navy Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa |
|
|---|---|
Four units of the RNZN cruise in the Cook Strait in 2011 (clockwise from foreground - Otago, Wellington, Te Mana and Canterbury)
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| Founded | October 1, 1941 |
| Country |
 New Zealand |
| Type | Navy |
| Role | Naval Warfare |
| Size |
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| Part of | New Zealand Defence Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Devonport Naval Base |
| Motto(s) | Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, "Warriors of the Sea of New Zealand") |
| March |
Quick — Heart of Oak Slow — E Pari Ra |
| Mascot(s) | Anchor |
| Anniversaries | 1 October 1941 (founded) |
| Engagements |
World War II Korean War Malayan Emergency Cross border attacks in Sabah Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation Iran–Iraq War Gulf War Solomon Islands East Timor Operation Enduring Freedom |
| Website | navy |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief |
Dame Patsy Reddy (Governor-General) |
| Chief of Defence Force | Lieutenant General Tim Keating |
| Chief of Navy | Rear Admiral John Martin |
| Insignia | |
| Naval Ensign |  |
| Naval Jack |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Reconnaissance | Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite |
Quick — Heart of Oak
The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; Maori: Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, "Warriors of the Sea of New Zealand") is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of eleven ships and eight naval helicopters.
The first recorded maritime combat activity in New Zealand occurred when Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was attacked by Māori in war waka off the northern tip of the South Island in December 1642.
The New Zealand Navy did not exist as a separate military force until 1941. The association of the Royal Navy with New Zealand began with the arrival of Lieutenant (later Captain) James Cook in 1769, who completed two subsequent journeys to New Zealand in 1773 and 1777. Occasional visits by Royal Navy ships were made from the late 18th century until the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. William Hobson, a crucial player in the drafting of the treaty, was in New Zealand as a captain in the Royal Navy. The signing of the Treaty of Waitangi made New Zealand a colony in the British Empire, so the defence of the coastline became the responsibility of the Royal Navy. That role was fulfilled until World War I, and the Royal Navy also played a part in the New Zealand Wars: for example, a gunboat shelled fortified Māori pā from the Waikato River in order to defeat the Māori King Movement.
In 1909, the New Zealand government decided to fund the purchase of the battlecruiser HMS New Zealand for the Royal Navy, which saw action throughout World War I in Europe. The passing of the Naval Defence Act 1913 created the New Zealand Naval Forces, still as a part of the Royal Navy. The first purchase by the New Zealand government for the New Zealand Naval Forces was the cruiser HMS Philomel, which escorted New Zealand land forces to occupy the German colony of Samoa in 1914. Philomel saw further action under the command of the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, and the Persian Gulf. By 1917, she was worn out and dispatched back to New Zealand where she served as a depot ship in Wellington Harbour for minesweepers. In 1921 she was transferred to Auckland for use as a training ship.
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Wikipedia