[citation needed] He saw service in the company's cadetship, general cargo ships, passenger and cruise liners and consequently visited many ports of call in the Indian Ocean and in Asia.
[citation needed] He studied at the Royal Australian Naval Staff College and later at Victoria University of Wellington where he researched Asian culture and civilisation, graduating with a Master of Arts.
[citation needed] In 1995 he was appointed as Administrator (or in some references Operations Manager) at the Centre for Strategic Studies under original Director Terence O'Brien.
He also served as Executive Director of the New Zealand Membership Committee of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP).
He managed several full-time staff members, and also oversaw a number of the Centre's Senior Fellows, including former director Terence O'Brien, University of Auckland academic Stephen Hoadley, and Lance Beath.