New command for HMNZS Taupo

Lieutenant Commander Ben Fairweather formally declared “I have the ship” in a change of command ceremony at Devonport Naval Base on 30 July, overseen by the Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral Garin Golding.

At the ceremony, LTCDR Fairweather received the Inshore Patrol Vessel’s (IPV) symbol of command, a hoe, from outgoing Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander Toby Mara.

Taupo has a reputation for being one of the busiest ships in the fleet, remaining close to New Zealand conducting border and fisheries patrols and training successive intakes of warfare officers in Officer of the Watch duties.

It’s almost full circle for Lieutenant Commander Fairweather, who cut his teeth on IPVs after completing his Junior Officer Common Training in 2012. 

He grew up in Howick, Auckland, attending Sacred Heart College, and worked in hospitality for three years before joining the Navy.

“I was attracted by the idea of service to your country,” he says. “I’m also a qualified football referee and a fellow ref, a Commander in the Navy, gave me some ideas about a Navy career.”

As a warfare officer, Lieutenant Commander Fairweather is trained to ‘drive’ warships, working on the bridge and taking responsibility for the safe passage and navigation of the ship at sea.

It was navigation that particularly appealed, he says. “I enjoy the problem solving, finding out where you are and where you need to be.”

While he has enjoyed four postings in IPVs, including Executive Officer, he’s also served aboard Offshore Patrol Vessels HMNZS Otago and HMNZS Wellington, logistics ship HMNZS Canterbury and frigate HMNZS Te Kaha, which travelled to the Arabian Sea in 2015 to support drug interdictions and take part in Anzac Day centenary commemorations in Gallipoli.

He has also been the Navigation School’s Head of School and the fleet’s Navigation Training Officer.

“IPVs are great ships,” he says. “You see another side of New Zealand from the sea and you feel the direct result of your work from patrols and border protection. We’ll be calling into Whangarei – our ceremonial homeport – after I take command, and those port visits give you that direct connection with the community that you miss sometimes with larger ships travelling the world. 

“Plus it’s a young crew where junior people can take on stronger roles. It’s a great ship to learn and grow on.”