This year the services programme leader Rāwiri Waaka can proudly talk about his new cadets with great passion and enthusiasm.

“Our cadets have just come off their induction to Services at Burnham Military Camp. They’ve have had 12 days of working together as a team and as individuals to reach some pretty challenging goals.”

The programme has 23 enrolments that want a career in either the Fire, Police, Navy, Army or Air Force. Only 3 ākonga are in their second year so the majority are new to the programme.

Ākonga began the school year goal setting, learning how to work together as a whānau, practice Service Programme ethos and values and fitness and military drill.

Over the 11 days of the induction the learning curve was huge.

* lessons on military drill

* Barrack cleaning standards

* self discipline

* time management

* the new Services booklet

* southern academies haka

* early morning activities

* leaderless tasks

* mess etiquette

* military fitness tests

* military rank structure

* trust falls

* river crossing

* Burnham confidence course

* high ropes course

* Army longest day

All cadets worked hard with days starting at 05:30 in the morning and ending at 10:00 at night. Rā as their leader was very proud of the way Haeata Services Programme conducted themselves, pushing passed the comfort zone and their normal routine. They hung in and dug deep to the point where they got through some things that they thought they would never get through.

The NZDF staff fully enjoyed our teams involvement in the induction process and now that the standard has been set it is up to the individuals and lead by Rā to carry on with the great work.