New Zealand Army officer cadet interacts with Waipawa School students during Exercise Santici. Photo / NZDF
They arrived in trucks at CHB Motors in Waipawa, the NZ army officer cadets, on a mission.
Their target was clear.
Detain, capture or kill the enemy, and stop the bomb inside the yard from exploding while they were doing it.
This was just one part of the training Exercise Santici on Wednesday, in the army’s two-week descent on Waipawa and Waipukuraru.
Here, the racecourse was transformed into home base for the army, and the towns into its perfect training grounds.
After 24 hours of preparation, a platoon made up of 40 officer cadets was sent out to the car wreckers’ yard, where the enemy had placed an improvised explosive device (IED) to target the NZ Army or its allies or someone of key importance within the area at a later date.
My untrained eye watched as the team surrounded the area, with armed cadets soon posted at each entrance way.
Others worked to clear and secure a perimeter around the car yard, and some spoke to civilians – the Waipawa Primary School children watching.
Having already experienced camp life, I was excited to see the action and the skill needed to carry out field tasks.
Chief instructor for the officer cadet school of New Zealand, Major Gwyn Macpherson, provided earplugs and said to expect the sounds of blank gunfire to ring out.
“[It’s] a game of cat and mouse and you’re not necessarily the cat,” he said.
It was clear that the cadets armed with blank rounds knew what they were there to do as they moved swiftly and smoothly, replicating their earlier preparations.
Macpherson said each scenario they were placed into during their time in the region tested their abilities and morals.
“The officer cadets will be given a task the day prior...and they have to decipher what all the other things they need to do to achieve that task and tell us how they are going to achieve that task.”
Macpherson said they provided the “who, what, where, when” and the cadets had to figure out the “why”, with 24 hours to prepare.
“This includes preparation of orders, doing all the necessary battle prep to ensure they can go out the gate and safely and complete that task.”
Also on hand to help were the military police, a Light armoured vehicle (LAV) troop, catering, the explosive ordnance disposal detachment and a female engagement team.
Macpherson said the exercises were real-life replications, but were slowed down due to the cadets still learning as they were assessed on command, control, and their response during the task and mission extraction.
“We don’t expect them to have all the answers, we don’t expect them to know everything, but we just want them to learn fast.”
During this process, each cadet had their heart rate and oxygen levels monitored to observe physical exercise and stress levels. They also take time to debrief afterwards to carry out the learning.
Immersed in training was Havelock North officer cadet Nathan Rae.
The 19-year-old said he joined the NZ Defence Force to combine his passions of military history and the outdoors.
“I like the diversity of the career with being outdoors like this in the field but also the thinking behind it and the strategy, hence why I joined as an officer.”
He said he got a great sense of pride when putting on his uniform each day after learning about the army growing up.
“Putting on the uniform it’s a real honour ... just ending up being a part of history.”
He said the main challenge he faced was planning, and he felt physical and mental resilience were key traits of an officer cadet.
“You are trying to plan around an enemy that is smart, and they are trying to plan around your activity as well, so your considerations have to be really in-depth to ensure that your mission will succeed.
“Some of the exercises will really take it out of you, and that’s the goal is to push you to your limit to learn how you are going to react.”
He said this was made easier by having a high level of trust and a great bond with his fellow officer cadets.
Macpherson said in six weeks, the cadets would graduate and be welcomed into the army as commissioned officers.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.