Unit Officers

Lieutenant Commander W. David Dryden, NZCF
Commanding Officer
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Lieutenant Commander (Lt Cdr) W. David Dryden commissioned as an officer in the NZCF in March 1994 to the rank of Sub Lieutenant, and was posted to Training Ship (TS) Leander. Prior to commissioning he was naval writer, earning the rank of Chief Petty Officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy.

In March 2000 Lt Cdr Dryden was posted to TS Bellona as the Cadet Unit Commander (CUCDR). While the CUCDR of TS Bellona, he was the temporary CUCDR of No. 5 (Rodney District) Squadron for several months. Following his stint at TS Bellona Lt Cdr Dryden was once again reposted to TS Leander as the CUCDR in August 2016,

Lt Cdr Dryden is in charge of the Unit. As the Unit Commander he has overall responsibility for the Unit.

Lieutenant Commander Grant Edie, NZCF
Unit Officer
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Lieutenant Commander (Lt Cdr) Grant Edie joined as the Dunedin sea cadet of Training Ship (TS) Waireka. After rising through cadet ranks, he commissioned as an NZCF officer in April 1982 and was posted to TS Waireka.

Whilst an officer at TS Waireka Lt Cdr Edie held numerous officer positions, including Cadet Unit Commander (CUCDR). Lt Cdr Edie was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander in January 2005.

Since moving to Auckland in 2014, Lt Cdr Edie was appointed as the Area Support Officer (ASO) for Auckland North. At times he was also the temporary CUCDR for Training Ships Leander, Gambia, and Bellona, each for only a few months.
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In March 2020 Lt Cdr Edie stepped down as ASO to take on an officer role within TS Leander.

Ensign Tymon Porter, NZCF
Executive Officer
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Ensign Tymon Porter joined TS Leander in November 2011.  Since joining as a New Entry, he has risen through the ranks and attended a number of courses as a cadet.
 
Ens Porter was appointed the Unit Coxswain in September 2016. After commissioning as an NZCF officer in November 2019, Ens Porter was appointed as Executive Officer in February 2020

Ens Porter is currently studying a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Auckland.

Rank structure

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Senior Rates

Chief Petty Officer Cadet Mateo Porter
Divisional Senior Rate (Algiers)
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Chief Petty Officer Cadet Mateo Porter joined TS Leander in July 2014.  CPOCDT Porter successfully passed all courses he has attended including Junior NCO Course in 2016, Senior NCO Course and Cadet Coxswains Course in 2017. 
 
CPOCDT Porter was appointed as the Divisional Senior Rate for Algiers Division in October 2017 and was promoted to the rank of Chief Petty Officer in September 2018.

CPOCDT Porter is currently studying a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Design at the University of Auckland.

Petty Officer Cadet Anthony Sinnes
Divisional Rate (Nile)
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Petty Officer Cadet (POCDT) Anthony Sinnes joined TS Leander in 2015.  POCDT Sinnes successfully passed all courses he has attended including Junior NCO Course in April 2018, Senior NCO Course in Jul 2019 and Cadet Coxswains Course in January 2019. 
 
POCDT Sinnes was promoted to the rank of Petty Officer in November 2020 and was appointed as the Divisional Rate for Nile Division at the same time

POCDT Sinnes graduated from Takapuna Grammar School in 2019, and is currently undertaking studies as a car mechanic.

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Supplementary Staff

Mr Leon Harvey
Supplementary Instructor
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Mr Harvey's Bio

Mr Deryck Edie
Supplementary Instructor
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Mr Edie's Bio