We have received a directive from the New Zealand Defence Force stating that from the 1st of November, any personnel attending an activity on an NZDF Base/Camp must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
A number of our camps and activities throughout the year take place on an NZDF establishment, so whilst Cadets do not require vaccination to be part of 17 SQN in general, there will be some camps and activities that they will unfortunately be unable to attend if they are not.
Cadets that wish to be able to attend activities on a Defence Force establishment need to submit a copy of their COVID-19 Vaccination Confirmation letter once they are fully vaccinated. This letter can be requested from the Ministry of health via this link. Please email this letter to us, and we will then upload it to your CadetNet profile.
If Cadets do not wish to provide this information they will be unable to attend activities on a Defence Force establishment.
Regarding upcoming activities, vaccination is not required for Exercise Taiaha or Exercise Takahe, as these are not held on a Defence establishment. It will however be required for attendance at Exercise Sparrowhawk (Dec 2-5), and the December and January Aviation courses (Gliding, Navigation, Powered Flying and RNZAF Immersion) that some of you have applied for. Proof of vaccination will need to be submitted before these applications can be advanced.
I do apologise for any inconvenience and distress this directive may cause. Rest assured there are still a number of camps, experiences and opportunities we can offer if there are any Cadets who remain unvaccinated.
If you have any questions around the NZDF directive, please get in touch.