HMNZS Te Mana

Te Mana is designed to fight and evade her enemies and take battle damage. Her primary mission is to ensure the security and prosperity of New Zealand by undertaking maritime security patrols and surveillance operations to protect our sea lines of communication or trade routes.

Te Mana is crewed by up to 178 sailors from the vast majority of branches and trades in the Navy, trained to operate the ship in environments from the cold of the Southern Ocean to the heat of the Arabian Sea, in peacetime and in combat situations. Frequently, Te Mana will also embark RNZAF personnel to support helicopter operations.

Te Mana was delivered to the Ministry of Defence and commissioned into the Royal New Zealand Navy on 10 December 1999. Te Mana is the first ship of this name to serve in the Royal New Zealand Navy.

The two Anzac class frigates, HMNZS Te Kaha and HMNZS Te Mana, are the main combat-capable ships of the Navy and play a vital role in protecting New Zealand, its exports, maritime resources and those of our allies. Frigates are the smallest type of warship capable of prolonged independent and sustained operations, including:

• Working with our allies in regional and global security
• Conducting patrols in the Southern Ocean for illegal fishing
• Participating in joint training exercises with other navies
• Participating in UN peacekeeping missions
• Search and rescue missions

Anzac frigates can combat simultaneous threats from the air, surface and sub-surface. This makes these ships a vital component in maintaining regional security.

Upgrades

The Frigate Systems Upgrade (FSU) project was identified in the 2010 Defence White Paper as necessary to maintain the frigates' combat capability until the end of their service life. In 2021-2022, HMNZS Te Mana’s surveillance, combat and self-defence capabilities were upgraded to match current and potential future threats. The upgrade included a new combat management system, new radars, electronic detection and other above water sensors, the self-defence missile system, decoys against missiles and torpedoes, and an upgrade to the hull-mounted sonar.

Capability

Ship's Badge

Motto: Kokiri Kia U (Striving Towards Perfection). 

Following on from the success of the design competition for the badge of HMNZS Te Kaha, in 1996 the Navy had another competition to design the ship’s badge for the frigate Te Mana. The competition was again open to design students at the 25 polytechnics throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.

The winning design would win a 2D moulded reproduction of the badge, an invitation to the commissioning of Te Mana and a day at sea in the ship. In addition, the designer’s polytechnic would receive a $1,000 book voucher. 

Mary-Ellen Scell of Taranaki Polytechnic submitted the winning design concept, featuring a white heron or kōtuku. This elegant bird is much revered in Māori lore and tradition, the kōtuku escorting Tane as he travelled the heavens in search of the three baskets of knowledge. The white heron is seen throughout the world in temperate and sub-tropical climates and is also known as the great white egret. With a little refinement the final badge design was completed by Mr Roger Barnes, a heraldic artist of Auckland.

Specifications

Armament