Mō te tūranga
About the role
-
Specialisations
Education & Support roles | Healthcare | Officers & Management
-
Entry type
Officer entry
-
Under training
$81,184
-
Location
Varied
As a Chaplain of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), you are appointed to provide ministry to Air Force personnel (both military and civilian) and their families. You are expected to be a friend and advisor to all. It is a unique ministry which can take you to the four corners of the earth, on sea, or land deployments, wherever Air Force personnel are required to serve. You are an integral part of the Air Force and the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) team.
Air Force Chaplains provide quality pastoral care and assistance to all aviators and their families. This will involve providing both responsive and preventative care and may include support through relationship conflict, family dynamics, grief and loss, stress, and spiritual/religious advice. Air Force Chaplains are required to maintain a high level of confidentiality. They assist in times of crisis or emergency, both at the personal and organisational level.
Requirements
Basics
- Eligible to meet national security clearance criteria, as stipulated by the Government's Protective Security Requirements.
- Be ordained, licensed, commissioned or otherwise fully authorised to officiate on behalf of your denomination
- Have normally completed five years full-time pastoral ministry since ordination
- Be of good character – including a comprehensive police record check
- Pass on Officer Selection Board.
Education
Applicants are to have a recognised tertiary theological qualification and experience in Pastoral Ministry in accordance with their own denominational requirements. In addition applicants must satisfy the following criteria:
- Hold a tertiary theological or equivalent degree to NZQA level seven.
- Familiarity with and application of standard computer systems
- Be in good standing with their denomination, and have the support of their denomination
- Have your application endorsed by the Chaplains Defence Advisory Council
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to relate effectively with a diverse range of people
Scholarship Entry
The Air Force offer undergraduate scholarships for candidates who demonstrate the qualities required to become a Chaplain.
The scholarships are:
- Graduate Incentive Scheme: Study at the university of your choice, and on completion of your degree, you will be paid an increasing incentive over the next four years with the monetary value based on the number of full time study years successfully completed.
Fitness & Medical
Citizenship
There are strict citizenship and security requirements to gain the required SV security clearance for this trade.
Find out if you’re eligible here.
Period of Service
There is no contractual obligation for you to stay in the NZDF for any length of time.
We offer guidance on entry requirements in our eligibility section. Apply if you're uncertain, as we’ll work through the criteria with you to determine if you can proceed.
Chaplains in the military have a unique pastoral role where they provide guidance to all ranks.
-
Job on Base
As a Chaplain, you will be primarily concerned for the spiritual and pastoral care of the individual, and bring to the RNZAF your particular skills, which will include:
- Pastoral care of aviators, civilians, and their families
- Life skills education
- Weddings and military funerals
- Spiritual support
- Chapel services
- Ceremonial services like ANZAC day commemorations
- Religious advice to command
- Advocacy
-
Job on Deployment
Chaplains on deployment fulfil many of the same duties as they do in their base. Additional roles may include:
- Providing advice to command on local religious dynamics
- Increasing relationships with host communities via religious connections
- Boosting morale and being a non-anxious presence
- Assisting with critical incident management
Career progression and training
01Basic Training
Basic Training
(26 weeks) Location: RNZAF Base Woodbourne
RNZAF Officer Commissioning Course (ROCC)
All individuals selected to become a Chaplain in the RNZAF are required to complete training as a Commissioned Officer. This training is designed to prepare students with the knowledge and experience necessary for commissioned service in the RNZAF and the beginning of a career in leadership. This course will cover various subjects including:
- RNZAF Customs and Protocol
- Drill and Parades
- Military Law
- Military Field Skills and Weapons Training
- Defence and Strategic Studies
- Personnel Administration
- Communication Skills
- Command, Leadership and Management
- First Aid
02Job Training
Job Training
NZDF Chaplains are required to be qualified in theological, military and chaplain specialist matters. To ensure you are qualified to appropriate levels, in-house chaplaincy induction training will be conducted in the initial stages of your career with the RNZAF.
03Ongoing Training
Ongoing Training
Opportunities for ongoing professional development include:
- Suicide prevention
- Micro counselling skills
- Prepare / enrich
- Bi-cultural competence
You will also be required to maintain links with your own denomination, attending training events, retreats, and annual conferences as appropriate. Chaplains may also be required to attend suitable military administration and staff courses during their career.
04Career Progression
Career Progression
You will enter the Air Force with the support of your Church and remain strongly connected to it. Chaplaincy therefore is an institution of both NZDF and the Church and you will need the on-going support of both.
Chaplains are commissioned as a Chaplain Class 4 (Flight Lieutenant equivalent). Your progress through the Chaplaincy Classes, with each Chaplaincy Class corresponding to an Officer rank level, is based on demonstrated job performance and ongoing professional development, although time in rank does not guarantee progression to the next class.
Benefits & allowances
Earn a competitive salary while training or learning your trade, along with additional allowances for time spent in the field, at sea, overseas, or deployed on operations.
In addition to salary and allowances, other benefits of joining the New Zealand Defence Force include:
- Access to your Service marae or tūrangawaewae
- Sponsored tertiary study programmes at all levels
- Free access to gyms and swimming pools on camp and bases
- Opportunities to travel
- Free and subsidised medical and dental care
- Subsidised food and accommodation on camps and bases
- Free and subsidised insurance cover
- Help to buy a home and save for retirement
Salary & benefits
Careers in the Air Force are well-rewarded, as well as being diverse and exciting. As you become more experienced and move up through the ranks, gaining additional skills and qualifications, you will see your salary rise accordingly.
-
Under training
$81,184
-
Future potential earnings
$127,277
Am I fit enough?
If you want to be part of the NZ Defence Force you need to be medically and physically fit for military duties worldwide.
Medical & Fitness
The application process
Your step-by-step guide on what to expect at various stages of the application process, specifically for military roles.
Ready to start your Air Force career?
APPLY NOWTūranga whaipānga
Related Roles
Airforce
Healthcare | Officers & Management
Officer entry
Environmental Health Officers who are described as Force Health Protection Officers, plan, coordinate and implement control strategies to minimise adverse health impacts from the environment and the workplace.
Airforce
- Active Intakes
Healthcare
On the ground and in the air, you will experience a medical career unlike anything in civilian life, providing all aspects of medical care to Air Force personnel.
Airforce
Healthcare | Officers & Management
Officer entry
NZDF health is tasked with maintaining, improving and restoring the health of the Defence Force in order to maintain the operational effectiveness of the NZDF.