WATCH THE WORLD OPEN UP STELLAR NAVY SCHOLARHIP SCHEME

writer PETER WHITE photographer LOGAN WEST

Joining the Royal New Zealand Navy opens up lifelong career opportunities, the chance to travel the world and to gain university qualifications without paying fees. ROMAN SHIPTON is one of the young New Zealanders taking up the chance to be paid to study for a qualification that will secure his future career in the Navy.

Roman (22) is a trainee Weapons Engineering Officer studying fulltime under the Tangaroa Scholarship Scheme. He is in his fourth year of a conjoint Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) programme at the University of Auckland.

While he is studying, he has an obligation to do an overnight duty once or twice a month at the Devonport Naval Base to look after the junior officers. During university semester breaks, he is also posted to work by the Navy.

Roman attended Rosmini College on Auckland’s North Shore, just eight kilometres from the Naval Base. He took Chemistry, Physics, Calculus, Classics, Drama and Religious Education in Year 13. He considered a career in the Navy when he was about 15 but decided to park it for a few years.

It was not until he finished his first year at university that he found out about the scholarship scheme.

“I had thought that if you go into the Defence Force you give up your university pursuits but that was not the case once I learned about this scholarship. It was just a no-brainer,” says Roman.

“It works out to be about a $200,000-plus scholarship. If you try to get a scholarship like that purely on academics, then you would have to be a genius!

“This (Tangaroa) type of scholarship enables people who are more well-rounded rather than just extremely good at sport or extremely academic.”

Roman says he found out about the scholarship scheme from his uncle, who is also in the Navy.

“The selection process is quite involved, with a Police check and medical check, then some aptitude and fitness testing. I had an interview followed by a three-day selection process on base where senior officers test your leadership potential. They find out if you are a good fit.”

For scholarship recipients like Roman, there is a return of service obligation. This is a contractual commitment to remain in the Defence Force for a specified period of time. Roman says it is year-for-year, so every year of tertiary sponsorship is one year of return of service to the Navy.

When he graduates, he will initially do some post-graduate work in the United Kingdom or Australia before being posted to a ship as an Assistant Weapons Engineering Officer.

“You assist the Weapons Engineering Officer on board and learn how to do their job. Once you are fully qualified, you become a Deputy Weapons Engineering Officer.

“You basically run the weapons engineering department on board a war ship. I love how varied the work is. They keep you moving around different roles with new postings every two years or so.

“You are constantly stimulated by a new challenge.”

ROMAN SHIPTON

KEY FACTS

■ ROMAN SHIPTON IS A TRAINEE WEAPONS ENGINEERING OFFICER IN THE ROYAL NEW ZEALAND NAVY, STUDYING FULLTIME UNDER THE TANGAROA SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME

■ HE IS STUDYING A CONJOINT BACHELOR OF COMMERCE AND BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING (HONOURS) PROGRAMME AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND

■ ROMAN HAS A YEAR-FOR-YEAR RETURN OF SERVICE OBLIGATION TO THE NAVY AFTER GRADUATING, HE WILL DO POST-GRADUATE WORK OVERSEAS BEFORE BEING POSTED TO A SHIP AS AN ASSISTANT WEAPONS ENGINEERING OFFICER