Future leaders visit SAS Training Compound

On Friday 15 June a group of students travelled to Auckland to discover what it takes to be a “top 1 percenter” in New Zealand’s Defense Force.  This trip to the NZ Special Air Service (SAS)was organised by Phil Hokianga, Chairman of the Hamilton Boys’ High School Whanau Committee, as an initiative to open our eyes to what it really takes to be accepted into  this elite group.

The students who were keen to participate needed to write a letter to “Nga Mangai Tamatoa”, expressing their interest in the trip.  Nga Mangai Tamatoa is a group of senior Maori leadership students who initiated the selection process and promoted this initiative throughout the school.

In the end, 15 boys were afforded this privilege.  They arrived at the heavily secured compound in Pukekohe.  Two ranking officers showed us around the places that we were allowed to see.   We immediately began to absorb the culture of the regiment, from the minute we entered the inner compound.  Four guiding principles were repeated to us on a number of occasions; use humour, show humility, discard class distinctions, and maintain an unrelenting pursuit of excellence and courage. We could relate to these values well,  as these same characteristics are needed from student leaders within a school setting, if they are to become important role models and set a good example.  It was also interesting to see all of the M?ori carvings and artworks throughout the entire compound as a reminder of New Zealand’s unique culture. We were humbled and educated about the importance of knowing our ‘roots’ as our guide recited our school history much more knowledgably than we could!

We visited a variety of places within the compound, which included the mess (recreational facility), the chapel and the memorial of past members of the regiment. The most interesting room however, was one that seemed to be a lounge where members could relax and reflect, inside the inner compound. In this room there was information about the past wars that the NZSAS was involved in, and photos of past members.

Before our departure from the NZSAS compound, we were allowed to eat with the soldiers in the cafeteria. The restaurant-quality food was surprising, as we expected the mess-style foods that you often see in the movies. After this, we thanked our guides with a haka and moved on to a school for at-risk teenagers where we had a go at the high ropes course. This experience forced many students to quickly overcome their fear of heights and proved to be very worthwhile and enjoyable. All the staff we saw there were ex-NZSAS members, many of whom served for over 20 years in New Zealand’s Defense Force.

We would like to take this time to thank Phil Hokianga and his dedication towards this initiative. All the students who participated thoroughly enjoyed it, and we hope that future students may have the honour to have this same experience.