Being a part of the Royal New Zealand Navy opens up opportunities to travel in a way others may never have the chance.  Whether through training and study programmes, overseas assignments or on board a ship on deployment, there is the chance to visit countries all over the world.

Training courses are held throughout New Zealand and internationally.  There are opportunities for some, undertaking training with the Royal Australian Navy in Australia, or the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. For example, our Hydrographic Officers and Airborne Tactical Officers spend 6-12 months in Australia training on specialised equipment.  Our Warfare Officers, Marine Engineer and Weapon Engineer Officers travel to the United Kingdom to complete their specialist warfare training and System Engineering Management Courses (SEMC).

When deployed to a ship, you could be patrolling the New Zealand coastline, the Pacific Ocean, including the sea surrounding the Pacific Islands, or travelling through South East Asia. We have five regional area classifications for what we do (we usually refer to these as Exclusive Economic Zones):

1. New Zealand  EC1
2. New Zealand and the Pacific Islands EC2
3. New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands EC3
4. New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific Islands and South East Asia EC4
5. Rest of the World EC5

Peacekeeping activities are dependent on global events. Currently we have crew posted in Afghanistan, Timor-Leste, the Sinai, the Lebanon and the Sudan. These peacekeeping operations are often conducted in partnership with the New Zealand Army or Royal New Zealand Air Force, so you could be working with other personnel from the New Zealand Defence Force. 

The Navy also holds overseas posts referred to as the Defence Attaché. Selected personnel are posted to High Commissions, Embassies or Consulates where they work with international diplomats and other military organisations on New Zealand’s behalf; positions are usually filled by high-ranking military experts. This role is similar to that of an Ambassador, but is primarily focused on military information and related activities.

Read about our crew’s experiences overseas in our Postcards from Overseas or visit our Global Deployment Map to see where our ships are, personnel are posted or peacekeeping missions we are involved in.