The French frigate FNS Prairial will be visiting New Zealand for Exercise Southern Katipo 15 and will be berthed at Ports of Auckland over the weekend.
A light frigate of the French Marine Nationale, the Prairial will also visit Nelson and Napier.
Exercise Southern Katipo aims to test and evaluate the New Zealand Defence Force’s ability to plan and conduct joint operations involving a range of naval, land, and air assets. It also involves military personnel from Australia, Canada, Fiji, France, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
More than 2,000 military personnel from New Zealand and eight other countries will take part in a month-long international exercise hosted by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) which started this week in the South Island.
Run every two years, SK15 is being held this year in the Buller, Tasman, and Marlborough districts in the South Island.
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Image: NZ Navy