Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment 2023 Message To The Rifles
Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment Review
From Lieutenant Colonel Gareth Seeds
Commanding Officer 2nd/4th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment
I appreciate the opportunity to send a message to your Regiment (and your former members), but should begin with an explanation. For some of your readers, our relatively new name will not be familiar, as you may have remembered alliances with either the 2nd Battalion (Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast) or the 4th Battalion (Otago and Southland), both reservist units of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment since 1964. In 2012, all six of the RNZIR reservist battalions were amalgamated into three, and our unit now covers all of the South Island, with the Headquarters located in Burnham Military Camp, about 20 kilometres south of Christchurch. The three rifle companies are spread throughout the South Island: A Company is in Christchurch with garrisons located in Nelson, Greymouth and Timaru; B Company is based in Dunedin with garrisons located in Invercargill and Cromwell; while C Company, which comprises three specialist platoons, is based in Christchurch.
Although New Zealand is an island nation located at the bottom of the world, we have not been immune to global events which have impacted on our daily lives, including the pandemic, which involved our Defence Force assisting with security of Managed Isolation Quarantine facilities for arriving travellers. During 2023, we have had personnel deployed on various operational deployments, including my predecessor, Lieutenant Colonel Timi Tuatini (to the MFO in Sinai) and the former RSM, Warrant Officer Class 1 Craig Winter to the Solomon Islands as part of the Police-led International Assistance Force (SIAF). Our new RSM is Warrant Officer Class 1 Rob McGee, who was decorated for his gallantry during an earlier posting to Afghanistan.
I assumed command in June 2023, around the same time that Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Paul Koorey was appointed Honorary Colonel, vice Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Greg Hart, both of whom had been Commanding Officers of the 2nd Battalion (Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast). The Adjutant, Captain James Skedden, also served in the former 2nd Battalion as RSM.
We have been able to exercise more freely now that Covid restrictions have been lifted, with exercises and training courses being conducted around the South Island, including live field firing at the Tekapo Military Training Area in the Southern Lakes area and navigation, shooting coaches and range conducting officer courses at the West Melton area not far from Christchurch. In addition, we had soldiers in an integrated platoon exercising in New South Wales with our Australian counterparts.
Ceremonial duties included the usual range of ANZAC Day services around the South Island in April, while the King’s and Regimental Colours were paraded at the Bridge of Remembrance in Christchurch on Armistice Day where the Commanding Officer had been invited to be the guest speaker. Also in Christchurch – one of our ‘freedom cities’ – Lieutenant Christopher Elles and Second Lieutenant Rachael Blowers attended separate ceremonies where they read a message from the Governor General.
Overall, it has been a busy year with training being conducted at a high tempo and steady growth in unit numbers. Battalion Headquarters staff have also been involved with a planned relocation from the historic Kensington Army Hall in Dunedin to a modern facility closer to the city centre which will accommodate all New Zealand Defence Force elements currently based in Dunedin. In addition, we are hoping to upgrade some of our garrison facilities in the regions.
In closing, I wish to emphasise the importance our unit places on our regimental alliances and friendships at this time of increasing uncertainty. As such I wish to offer a standing invite to any of your officers and soldiers who manage to find their way to our part of the South West Pacific to contact us with a view to receiving some of the hospitality we know is afforded our soldiers during their travels.
Our two Regimental Colours paraded in the field at Tekapo Military Training Area in May to acknowledge the impending departure of the Honorary Colonel Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Greg Hart and Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Timi Tuatini.