The academy is a collaboration with the Ministry of Social Development.

Its objective is to provide a one or two year educational programme, which is suitable for students to commence in Year 11 (although applications from Year 12 students will be considered)

The programme is based on the model, which is used in a number of academies around New Zealand, and is run by staff who are trained military personnel.

The emphasis of the programme will be to provide a package of life skills and citizenship skills, with a very strong emphasis on physical training and challenges. The programme will include a block course at Burnham Military Camp and a number of other adventure based challenges throughout the year.

Students will be assessed in a range of skills covered within the programme and will also have literacy, numeracy and food technology included in the programme.

Successful applicants will also have a special academy uniform provided free for the year.

At the end of the programme, students will either:

Continue with further secondary education, in one of the Aranui Academies or elsewhere, in preparation for a future armed services career or elsewhere
Move to other forms of training
Move to an employment situation

Features of the Services Academy programme will include:

Induction training (health, drill, team work, discipline, routine, physical training, intro to the outdoors, sport, communicate effectively)

• Sports
• Physical education/training (PT)
• Outdoor adventure based learning (ABL)
• Work experience incl career development (what I want to be, what I need to do to be it)
• Community Projects
• Mentoring/leadership training
• External presenters on law, healthy life styles, abuse, rights, sex ed
• Cooking, (including gathering food, hunting and preparation for cooking)
• Govt agencies, what they do,
• Community support programmes (who they are & what they do)
• Annual trip (incl. fund raising)
• Offered up to 80 credits NCEA Level 1

Time allocation
12 hours per week