LT Alex Hansen (MC10-0198-038)
By Sarah Chandler
“Overachiever” isn’t a term she’s particularly comfortable with, but it’s one that springs to mind on meeting Lieutenant Alexandra Hansen, the first female Commanding Officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy.
At 28, Lieutenant Hansen is in charge of HMNZS PUKAKI, one of the RNZN’s four new Inshore Patrol vessels. Inshore Patrol Vessels are faster and more capable than previous Navy patrol vessels, working around the coast doing border patrol and surveillance, protecting our fisheries and supporting the work of Customs, Police, the Ministry of Fisheries and the Department of Conservation.
Other women have had positions of command in the Navy, but not quite on this scale. Educated at Wellington East College before completing Bachelor degrees in science and commerce, Alex didn’t join the Navy as a school leaver - though her twin sister Chloe did. When Alex saw that Chloe was earning money, travelling the world and making good friendships, she thought, “I could do that too.” (Chloe is no longer in the Navy, though the sisters still share a house in Auckland).
Alex describes her initial Officer training as an “amazing time”, and although it might sound strange to a civilian, she even quite liked being yelled at. She explains, “I didn’t mind it because I like authority and structure. I like it because it indicates there's an opportunity to work your way up. The best thing about the Navy and the wider defence force is they will keep giving you harder and harder jobs, until you fall off the ladder somewhere”.
Alex trained as a Seaman Officer and her experiences have included a six month patrol to the Falkland Islands with the Royal Navy and navigating the multi role vessel HMNZS CANTERBURY. Although she admits to being hard working and diligent, when asked where she thinks she might “fall off the ladder”, Alex is reluctant to speculate, adding it is not “a given” she will take on another command role. There is, however, an observable sparkle in her eye when asked if she’d one day like to command the likes of the new offshore patrol vessels HMNZS OTAGO or WELLINGTON.
Since taking command of PUKAKI on 18 June, the ship has had only had one week ‘alongside’. The ship’s core company is 18 people but the IPVs can take up to 36.
When asked what she thinks are the requisite traits of a good Commanding Officer, Alex says, “You need to know your job really well, and you need to be fair. You must be able to think under pressure and not over react or react negatively. I find it helps if I don’t think 'worst case scenario' or take any out frustrations on the crew."
Having said that, she says her crew are a content bunch: “Keeping up morale isn’t hard, the crew are happy in their work; they are well fed, well paid and they enjoy themselves. They get to have fun, visit cool places and even stop for the odd spot of fishing.”
Far from feeling isolated in a predominantly male environment, Alex says she has made a lot of female friends in the Navy (which is made up of about 20% women): “It’s been important having a good group of women friends who can talk to each other if they’ve had a bad day. My sister obviously understands, too - though she wouldn’t hesitate to put me in my place if I got too big for my boots!”
Alex hopes her appointment encourages more women to join the trades in which they are underrepresented in the Navy, but she also seems a bit perplexed at the focus on her gender. “I don’t see it as much of an issue and can honestly say I haven’t experienced either positive or negative discrimination due to my gender.”
You get the impression she’d prefer to just get on with the job.