West Coast nurse named NZDF Reservist of the Year

In her citation, Major Bobbi Orr said that over the past three decades in both the Regular and Reserve Force, Captain Fraser contributed a significant amount to the organisation and her own community.

“This year, Rose has taken it upon herself to establish support networks where she lives on the West Coast, in support of potential future civil defence emergency responses. In November last year, Rose volunteered to deliver a presentation on a unit exercise sharing her experiences from the Banda Aceh, Indonesia, tsunami response in 2004.”

Over the course of her career, Captain Fraser has engaged in Reserve and Regular Force training, supported exercises, been involved in Defence Force sport and looked after personnel, Major Orr said.

“Rose goes above and beyond in supporting the unit and the organisation. She always has an outstanding positive attitude and her comments are always, ‘it’s just what you do’. Rose is a humble and respected officer who selflessly puts everyone ahead of herself for the betterment of the organisation. She has a can-do attitude and never hesitates to put her hand up for tasks.”

Captain Fraser said it was humbling and overwhelming to receive the recognition. 

I never expected to be named as a finalist and I felt quite honoured. A lot of credit has to go to the people who put forward the nominations because it takes time and commitment and from a leadership perspective, it shows they value their staff.

The nomination prompted Captain Fraser to think about the number of “extraordinary people” who had mentored her throughout her career and told her to always strive to be better. 

“I’ve been so lucky. I feel that your life is enriched by who you meet and we meet so many wonderful people within the organisation we work for, but also when we deploy or go on exercises with other nations or other units. Every interaction helps to achieve the outcomes for the Defence Force. 

“The core values, culture and the ethos in the Defence Force resonate with me and I’m sure they do with anyone who works and wants to serve and serve with pride and to the best of their ability. Mind you, I’ve had a few hiccups along the way.”

Over her long career, Captain Fraser has been able to draw from rich experiences, including being the patrol medic in Bougainville and being deployed to East Timor, as well as a number of international exercises. 

“Wherever you go and do things, you’re adding to your expertise and your knowledge. East Timor was quite confronting and we really worked hard as a team and lessons were learned. Every time we go away we’re continually evolving as an organisation to put structures in place to help the team,” she said.

Captain Fraser was also called to deploy to Indonesia in the aftermath of the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. 

“We all wanted to go and represent our corps, our unit, the NZ Army and the wider Defence Force. I also felt in some ways we were representing New Zealand.

“We grew from that. It’s the old adage that medicine improves with every conflict. We don’t want conflict, it’s a reality and we’re here to serve.” 

When deploying to other countries that had suffered that kind of devastation, it was important to arrive with a sense of humility and respect for the local population’s culture, religion and beliefs, Captain Fraser said.

I think that’s where Kiwis are probably very good – we try to integrate and show compassion and I think that’s what we have in our roles, we can show compassion and empathy. That goes a long way.

Captain Fraser also acknowledged her civilian employer Te Whatu Ora.

“They allow me to continue in the Reserve Force and support me. They realise how important it is as well.”