Bay of Plenty Commander Simon Rooke will assume command of the Royal New Zealand Navy's largest ship, HMNZS Canterbury, on Thursday.

North Shore's Commander David Turner will relinquish command of the ship to Simon in a ceremony at Devonport Naval Base tomorrow afternoon.

Commander Simon Rooke.

The change of command takes place with a traditional phrase. CDR Turner states: 'You have the ship” and CDR Rooke replies 'I have the ship”.

The two men then exchange the symbol of command for HMNZS Canterbury - a greenstone mere.

Simon was born in born in Kawerau in the Eastern Bay of Plenty and attended Kawerau College and Rotorua Boys High School before joining the Royal New Zealand Navy in 1991 as a Midshipman.

Simon qualified as a Bridge Watch Keeper in 1993 and as a Frigate Navigating Officer in 1997. He has navigated the replenishment ship Endeavour (1997-99) and the frigate Canterbury (2001).

In September 2011, Simon was promoted to his current rank and deployed to Afghanistan as a UN Military Advisor, based in Kabul.

On his return to New Zealand he was appointed as the Commander of Personnel and Training for the Operations sailors of the RNZN; and has subsequently had his role enhanced to have Career Management responsibility for all RNZN enlisted personnel.

Simon lives in Auckland with his wife Corenna and their two daughters.