Te Mana was sent to the
Solomon Islands in 2000, in preparation to evacuate around 225 New Zealanders from the ethnic conflict on the islands. A sailor died at sea aboard the frigate on 29 March 2001; the death was investigated by the
New Zealand Police but treated as not suspicious. In February 2002, a Seasprite helicopter flown by a
Royal Australian Navy test pilot crashed into
Te Manas deck. The ship was operating during high seas in
Cook Strait, a court of enquiry later found that no single event was to blame for the accident. The repairs to the Seasprite cost an estimated $7.4 million.
Te Mana went to the aid of in July 2002, when
Nottingham ran aground on the submerged
Wolf Rock, and provided manpower, supplies and salvage equipment to the stricken vessel. From 28 January 2003 until 4 August 2003,
Te Mana was deployed to the
Gulf of Oman and the
Arabian Sea, conducting Maritime Interdiction Operations as part of
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Te Mana deployed to the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman for a second time in 2004, again to undertake Maritime Interdiction Operations, as part of
Combined Task Force 150. In May the helicopter was damaged, at a cost of up to $4 million; a court of enquiry later found the pilot and co-pilot had failed to lash the aircraft down to the deck correctly. In the Gulf of Oman on 14 July 2004, a crew member aboard a merchant bulk chemical carrier fell into a tank while cleaning it.
Te Mana responded to the emergency call and sprinted to the scene, the ship's medic was flown over to the bulk carrier, but the patient was unable to be revived. She returned to Devonport on 10 September 2004, having queried 380 ships and boarded 38.
Te Mana and were the first RNZN vessels to visit Russia, arriving in the Pacific port of
Vladivostok on 10 June 2005 on a diplomatic mission. A fire broke out about
Te Mana in February 2006, while it was participating in an exercise off the coast of Australia. The ship's Seasprite helicopter was diverted to sister ship and the fire was put out by the crew. The breeding ground of the
Kermadec Storm Petrel was discovered with the assistance of
Te Mana in August 2006, when the ship transported an ornithologist to a rocky outcrop in the
Kermadec Islands group, enabling him to find a nest. The ship was on the annual mission to resupply
Raoul Island for the
Department of Conservation. Early in 2007 the vessel's diesel engines developed a problem as she crossed the
Tasman Sea to Sydney. The engines became unusable and the ship had to use the gas turbine for propulsion. Sister ship
Te Kaha suffered a similar problem one month later.
Te Mana deployed from Devonport to the Central and Southern Persian Gulf on 7 April 2008, as part of Coalition Task Force 152. Sailing via Singapore, she arrived on 11 May 2008, beginning a three-month patrol of the region's waterways, including guarding against threats to the oil industry infrastructure, as well to prevent smuggling and piracy. In October 2013,
Te Mana participated in the
International Fleet Review 2013 in Sydney. On June 14, 2017, Commander
Lisa Hunn became the first female commanding officer of a RNZN warship, when she took command of
Te Mana. ==Refit==