Royal New Zealand Navy

The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; Maori: Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, “Warriors of the Sea of New Zealand”) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of ten ships and eight naval helicopters.

 Pre–World War  

Main article: Early naval vessels of New Zealand

The first recorded maritime combat activity in New Zealand occurred when Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was attacked by Māori in war waka off the northern tip of the South Island in December 1642.

The New Zealand Navy did not exist as a separate military force until 1941. The association of the Royal Navy with New Zealand began with the arrival of Lieutenant (later Captain) James Cook in 1769, which completed two subsequent journeys to New Zealand in 1773 and 1777. Occasional visits by Royal Navy ships were made from the late 18th century until the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. William Hobson, a crucial player in the drafting of the treaty, was in New Zealand as a captain in the Royal Navy. The signing of the Treaty of Waitangi made New Zealand a colony in the British Empire, so the defence of the coastline became the responsibility of the Royal Navy. That role was fulfilled until World War I, and the Royal Navy also played a part in the New Zealand Wars: for example, a gunboat shelled fortified Māori pā from the Waikato River in order to defeat the Māori King Movement.

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