Defence Review Consultation Summary of Submissions
Youth Consultation
In a supplementary process to the Defence Review submissions, facilitated by the Ministry of Youth Development, young people were asked to respond to four questions about the Defence Force in survey forms or in focus groups. A total of 143 young people responded.
In response to a question about the Defence Force's role in keeping New Zealand secure, close to the same number of young people viewed the Defence Force as an agency for civil defence and disaster relief as they did an armed force to respond to military threats. Many young people did not see any significant military threats to New Zealand.
Young people were also asked to rank the most important things the Defence Force needed to be successful. Aggregated results suggested that most respondents believed that personnel that are well-trained and equipped for combat and peacekeeping roles are most important. In response to a further question concerning other tasks the Defence Force should be doing, the most common was "doing more internationally". With the exception of "protecting New Zealand", most of the other common responses mentioned civilian roles such as community work, search and rescue, disaster relief and law and order.
The final question sought to identify what would attract young people to a career in the Defence Force. The attraction of studying and gaining qualifications while working was the most common response. Other factors important in attracting young people to the Defence Force were pay and benefits, job security and career opportunities. More information and opportunities to meet and interact with Defence Force personnel would assist young people to learn about the Defence Force and determine whether it was the right place for them.
