Colonel Commandant Message

Christmas 2023

Tena tatou katoa.

Season’s Greeting Fellow Sappers and Friends.

Another busy year for the Corp’s regeneration of capabilities culminating with EX ARRAS. The first time for many Sappers and leaders to do their thing in the field and Waiouru provided fitting weather to make it a memorable shared experience. While skill fade was evident (for good reason), the passion to learn and do better is pointing the Regiment in the right direction.

Other training milestones I saw were the arrival of new sappers from RNZE corps training and the LT-CAPT course, a tough milestone for those who completed it. The enthusiasm of students, and SME instructors, was evident and the arrival of those new Sappers and LT-CAPT course attendees back into the Regiment is a vital part of the Corp’s regeneration.

CO, LTCOL Mike Nochete and RSM, WO1 Tom Kerekere, handed over to LTCOL Joe Totoro and WO1 Carl Fairburn in October. I congratulate Mike and Tom on a tough job well done and welcome Joe and Carl back to the regiment. I thank MAJ Gabby Gofton for her tour as CI SME and acknowledge the command team replacing her and WO1 Fairburn, MAJ Paddy Fee and WO1 Evan Windleborn.

Our motto of I nga wahi katoa/Ubique has been earnt this year. From supervision of the NZ Museum construction at Le Quesnoy (France) and demining operations in the DMZ (Korea), to deployments or postings to the UK, Sinai, Vanuatu, Antarctica and elsewhere, Sappers remain everywhere.

You are aware that our Colonel in Chief was Her late Majesty the Queen. The Corps advised the NZDF this year that we request His Majesty the King to assume the appointment of Colonel in Chief, RNZE, should he so wish. These issues are bound by processes that neither we nor the NZDF control and will take time. There is no guarantee His Majesty will assume the appointment of Colonel in Chief but it has been part of my role to try to ensure that he is aware of our desire for him to do so.

Closer to home, the Sappers Association have strengthened their relationship with the Corps and Corps Trust. This is timely as we ensure we are all heading towards the same objective for the Corps 125^th in 2027. That objective will be defined in the months ahead but I welcome the Association’s enthusiasm in their engagement with the Corps.

As I write this in December 23, LTCOL Ian Brandon, RNZE who is posted to the NZ High Commission in London, is hosting the Chief Royal Engineer, GEN Chris Tickell, and presenting the RE with a copy of our Corps History, Won by the Spade. Ian continues to support the Corps in his current role and has facilitated messages of good wishes from the Corps to the King.

Lastly, I wish to thank you Sappers and whanau, serving or not, who retain a passion for the Corps. I became a Facebooker only last year so I thank those who administer and use social media for the greater good, to inform and keep an eye on our mates. I often remind myself that former Sappers watch the Corps via a variety of means and it is their legacy that we carry forward.

The leadership of the Corps remains committed to maintaining the engineer capabilities that NZ needs and to maintaining skills to the highest level. The strain on units remains as they grapple with retention, fulfilling their mission and regeneration. But the Corps is still doing a great job for NZ.

To you and yours, have a very Happy Christmas and New Year. Look after yourselves and each other.  I look forward to catching up in 2024

Ubique, I nga wahi katoa,

Paul Curry

Colonel Commandant RNZE

Nga kaihanga e mahi mo ratou i tenei ra,

a nga kaihanga te mana mo apopo

Those who build for others today,

build the mana of tomorrow

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