Recruit training: A stocktake of recommendations

17/12/2019 Audits, Assessments and Evaluations, Publication

This stocktake focuses on the review into recruit training in the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) that was conducted in 2015 and asks the question “What is the extent of the uptake of the recommendations from the Recruit Training review?”.

Recruit training: A stocktake of recommendations
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17 Dec 2019

The recruit training review was chosen for this stocktake for numerous reasons, including that:

  • all aspects of recruit training present an important strategic risk for NZDF
  • the review’s recommendations apply across all three branches (Navy, Army and Air Force)
  • the review examined processes to do with selecting, monitoring, developing and improving the performance of instructors
  • the review included outcomes of the training programme
  • the review focused on support for, and perceptions of, the wider organisation and leadership toward the training programme, and
  • the review was conducted in 2015 so carrying out a stocktake in 2018 provided three years of evidence to complete the stocktake.

The recruit training review made 64 recommendations. In total, 58 recommendations were assessed as part of this stocktake. The stocktake identified that 40 recommendations were completed by NZDF and 17 remained in-progress as of 2018. The report also identified that one administrative recommendation was not yet started but due to begin in 2018.

The in-progress recommendations were grouped by eight themes:

  1. Keeping recruits safe

  2. Fostering work/life balance for instructors

  3. Prioritising recruit training

  4. Training all recruit instructors to the highest level

  5. Identifying recruit attributes

  6. Creating a training doctrine

  7. Embedding change

  8. Monitoring bullying and harassment

The stocktake assesses the state of progress within each theme through a tri-service, Army, Navy and Air Force lens.