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NAVY NEWS 'CHANGE FATIGUE' IN DEFENCE FORCE There are 655 fewer personnel in the New Zealand Defence Force after overhauls and restructuring of the last two years. Staff morale and retention is at an all-time low, making it a major challenge to keep the quality staff they have left, said Vice Chief of the Defence Force, Rear Admiral Jack Steer and Secretary of Defence John McKinnon when they appeared before the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee in early March. The NZDF had gone through a round of "civilianisation", which saw about 300 uniformed staff made redundant because they were roles that could be filled by civilian staff. Rear Admiral Steer said the NZDF was on target to save the government's target of $355 million by the 2014/15 financial year. Rear Admiral Steer said the changes had been painful and staff were suffering from "change fatigue" with attrition at an historically high 19 percent, although about three percent was due to the civilianisation process. It is believed the impact on the Navy could be as high as 24 percent or a quarter of the total complement, meaning ships will have to be tied up. Other savings initiatives included looking at all military-owned land, and reducing the number of military bands from 10 to three. In the most recent NZDF survey, staff morale was at its lowest point since the survey began eight years ago. A second round of civilianisation will follow the first, affecting up to another 130 positions. NZDF staff had effectively had a wage freeze for almost four years, and this could not continue if the it wanted to retain its best staff, said Steer. "We are working on that problem." HMNZS WELLINGTON HEADS SOUTH On the Auckland Islands, a tiny piece of New Zealand territory 465km south of Bluff, the wind blows so hard that waterfalls are blown back up the cliffs. Now uninhabited, the sub-Antarctic islands have a turbulent history. During the sailing era they caused many shipwrecks, including the famous General Grant with its load of bullion. Early charts showing the islands 35 miles south of their actual position were partly to blame. They were the scene of the British Empire's shortest-lived colony, named Hardwicke, and several unsuccessful farming attempts, all defeated by isolation and the bleak, unforgiving climate. During the Second World War, teams of coastwatchers were posted there on a secret mission, scanning the horizon for signs of enemy ships attacking New Zealand from the south. This February the crew of the offshore patrol vessel HMNZS Wellington were able to see the Auckland Islands for themselves, on a voyage providing support for Department of Conservation research. SLt Piers Routledge meets one of the local inhabitants The week-long expedition saw the ship's rigid-hull inflatable boats used to circumnavigate the island to conduct the first survey of the Auckland Island shag – a bird found only on the island – as well as the first survey of rockhopper penguins in more than 20 years. While the results looked grim for the penguins, whose numbers appeared to have dropped substantially, the shag population was in good health. Despite the islands' well-earned reputation for an evil climate, they are right in the middle of the Furious Fifties and it rains most of the time, the sun shone steadily and the wind stayed at bay, allowing DoC to complete all the tasks on its list. These included hauling away the rotting remains of one of the castaway depots, set up by the government in the 19th century to provide provisions for those unlucky enough to be shipwrecked on the islands but now beyond repair. The voyage was also a success for a team of geologists from Otago University, who found examples of peridotite, a rock normally only found in the earth's mantle, brought to the surface in eruptions some 16 million years ago when the islands were formed. Wellington's commanding officer, Lt Cdr Rob McCaw, said work such as the DoC voyage was the purpose of the offshore patrol vessels. "We're here to help other government agencies including Customs, Police, Fisheries, reach the outer limits of New Zealand territory," he said. "By doing this we can free up the frigates for the 'right of arc' work, the sharp end of the Navy." Wellington has recently been deployed to help fisheries officers board vessels on the outskirts of New Zealand's exclusive Landing in Tagua Harbour in the Auckland Islands 70 Professional Skipper May/June 2012