Navy Inshore Patrol Ships, HMNZS Pukaki (left) and HMNZS Hawea in dock at the Devonport Navy Base. Photo / Richard Robinson
Two of the Navy's in-shore patrol vessels will likely be sold, as Opposition parties claim staff shortages are the reason they aren't being used.
The in-shore patrol vessel HMNZS Pukaki hasn't been out of port since 2012, and the HMNZS Taupo hasn't been to sea since 2013. One of the
Navy's two frigates, HMNZS Te Mana, hasn't been at sea since the end of 2014 and is undergoing a multi-million-dollar upgrade.
New Zealand First MP Ron Mark, who made the information available, said it was concerning considering the Government wants to add 620,000sq km to the Navy's patrol zone with the creation of the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary.
"Given we're responsible for a vast slice of the globe that extends from Antarctica to north of the equator and mid-Tasman to east of the Cook Islands, our Navy is frankly way too small and our seas are mostly unguarded."
Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee blamed the last Labour government for ordering too many in-shore patrol vessels and not enough off-shore vessels. He said the Pukaki and Taupo would likely be sold.
