Hundreds of friends and family gathered on the wharves at Devonport Naval Base in Auckland today to welcome HMNZS Aotearoa home for Christmas after an eight-month deployment.
The ship spent 307 days away from New Zealand and sailed more than 31,000 nautical miles as it conducted exercises and operations from Antarctica to the Korean Peninsula and throughout the wider Indo-Pacific region.
Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding said the mission demonstrated New Zealand’s commitment to defending the international rules-based system.
“You can’t just talk about it – you have to be at sea doing it – and your friends and partners and the international community need to see you do it as well. HMNZS Aotearoa and the ship’s company have certainly been out there doing exactly that.”
HMNZS Aotearoa played a critical support role throughout the year as the fleet tanker, from resupplying Scott Base and McMurdo Station to refuelling partner nations’ ships while operating alongside the navies of Australia, Canada, France, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.
Commanding Officer Commander Rob Welford said the entire ship’s company could take “real pride” in what they had achieved over the course of the year.
“Our Navy’s purpose is to advance New Zealand’s interests from the sea, but another key role is to protect those interests – and I think we can look back on this year and say ‘job done’ on both levels.”
HMNZS Aotearoa and its crew will now go on leave before preparations for another busy operational year in 2026.