Frequently Asked Questions

Yes

You can join if you are 13 - 15 years of age, or 12 years old but in Year 9 at Secondary School. to join us fill in the form on our website or email 10sqn@cadetforces.org.nz

We Parade every Wednesday night  (during school term time) from 6:15pm til 9:00pm and are located at the Linton Community Centre  (opposite Linton School) on Puttick Rd, Linton  

We regularly fundraise to help keep costs low.

Term fees - Regular fees from your third term are $75 per term (your first term is free, your second term is half price).

Uniform - Basic uniform is on loan at no cost. (Lost or damaged items may incur a fee). There is a small charge for personalised items like name badges and squadron T-shirt worn under CWDs.

Activities - Price varies per activity but we aim to keep costs between $20-$100.

We may be able to offer payment plans or financial assistance in case of hardship or other difficulty paying fees. Please reach out to the committee to discuss in confidence.

The majority of cadets serve for up to four years. After that, if you are a senior cadet who has qualified on your leadership courses, you can serve as a cadet until the day before your 20th birthday, provided you hold and maintain a valid NZ Police and NZDF Security Vetting Clearance prior to your 18th birthday.

No, Cadet Forces is a youth development organisation and is not part of NZ Defence Force. 

Cadet Forces is not a recruiting arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that young people who serve with Cadet Forces seem to adapt more readily to life in the Armed Forces.

Yes. Uniforms are issued on loan at no cost (lost items may incur a fee). All items are supplied a few weeks after joining, and must be returned at the completion of your cadet career. 

Our officers, staff and Support Committee members are Police vetted to be in line with the children's Laws and Legislations. Your child’s safety has top priority accepting that no activity can be entirely risk free.

All Officers undergo formal training in risk management on their Commissioning Course. This course includes NZQA risk management unit standards to learn how to minimise risk for your child while involved in NZCF activities.

Before they are permitted to take groups into the bush all officers have to qualify on the NZCF Field Craft Course. This course also incorporates First Aid training.

All officers are required to qualify on New Zealand Defence Force conducted firearms safety, range safety and shooting coaching courses before they are allowed to conduct any form of firearms safety training. All cadets complete the same firearms safety course before they are allowed to handle and shoot with NZCF firearms.

Regular Officer up-date training weekends are conducted to ensure officers remain current with their skills and their knowledge.

However, no activity can be completely risk free. Cadet Forces officers are trained to recognise and minimise risk to a point where it does not impact negatively on your child’s learning experiences.

Officers and Instructors participating in the New Zealand Cadet Forces include:

• Former and current members of the New Zealand Defence Force

• Specialist personnel

• Teachers

• Fire, Ambulance and Police officers

• Managers and executives from a wide range of Government departments and private companies

• Parents and community organisation members

• Former New Zealand Cadet Force Cadets