Navy Commander Philip Wiig reacts after hearing he will be dismissed from service.

A senior Navy commander who repeatedly groped a subordinate's buttocks has been dismissed from service.

Commander Philip Wiig​ was found guilty of one charge of indecent assault following events that happened after a function on board the HMNZS Canterbury on May 17, 2012.

A first court martial in March ended with the jury unable to reach a verdict, and a second court martial, with a new jury consisting of a senior member from each of the Navy, Air Force and Army, began on Monday.

LAWRENCE SMITH / FAIRFAX NZ Navy Commander Philip Wiig has been dismissed from the service after being found guilty of indecently assaulting a female subordinate.

Following the dinner on board the ship, a group of people went back to the bar at the officer's quarters at Devonport Naval base.

While at the bar Wiig repeatedly grabbed a woman's buttocks at least four times at the bar, despite her voicing her displeasure.

During sentencing Judge Duncan Harvey said Wiig's behaviour was "totally" unbecoming of a person of such senior rank.

FAIRFAX NZ A female officer was repeatedly groped by a Navy commander after a dinner on board the HMNZS Canterbury.

"You decided to target this young woman and you indecently assaulted her...you preyed on her, you humiliated her."

Wiig had failed to uphold the core values of the Defence Force and it was untenable for him to stay on in the Navy, he said.

He ordered Wiig be dismissed from service. The dismissal will not take effect until the time period for any appeal has passed.

Reading her victim impact statement, often through tears, the woman said she had a feeling of violation when first grabbed that turned into disbelief after it continued to happen.

She had finally resorted to sitting on a bar stool in the corner, unable to go to the bathroom or get another drink in case she was groped again.

As there were only men in the room, who had been consuming alcohol, she felt unable to tell anyone what was happening.

Being groped was not uncommon within the Defence Force or in the civilian world for women, she said.

She hoped to be able to help the Defence Force change their culture and was looking forward to continuing her military career despite what had happened, she said.

Giving evidence on Monday, the woman said she had been taken aback when she was first groped.

"I was really gutted at the time, I guess just shocked, then I said 'hey' and he was laughing and shaking his head as he walked off.

"I guess [I was] surprised but I guess being a female in the military you hear about these things happening and you hope it won't happen to you...it just felt like an abuse of power, I guess."

The event had caused problems both professionally and personally, she said.

She had turned down job offers in Auckland and avoided formal events.

"I think it's really hard when you have a civilian husband as well because you think if you confide in him it will justify all these stereotypes about being a woman in the military."

The woman said she had not wanted to make a formal complaint, but had told a few friends and the Defence Force had got involved.

Facing cross-examination from defence lawyer Major Peter Brock, the woman became angry and emotional after repeated questioning about details from the night.

When asked about how much she had drunk during the evening, she said she was a "four or five out of 10".

Giving evidence himself, Wiig denied the grabbing and said he had no recollection of the woman telling him to stop doing anything, or of telling him to "f... off".

"If anybody had said 'f... off' I would have acted appropriately to it at the time."

During sentencing on Wednesday, Wiig called several mitigating witnesses.

All were female, who testified the commander was professional in his work and they had only witnessed him behaving with respect towards women.

When considering name suppression, the Judge said it was important the Defence Force was not seen to dispense justice from behind closed doors.

Granting Wiig name suppression would throw unfair suspicion on other commanders in the Navy, he said.