N.Z.S.A.S., the special force unit of the New Zealand Army, is in charge of counterterrorism, unconventional warfare, surveillance and reconnaissance, direct action, training of foreign military, and so forth. They are inspired by the British 22 SAS and were formed by Major Frank Rennie.

Motto: "Who Dares Wins"

Established in: "1955"

The candidate has to be at least 20 years old and can come right from the streets. They can be male or female, but cannot be shorter than 152 cm. They must have achieved an NCEA Level 2, in terms of education. The candidate has to pass the G1 fitness test. The candidate has to be a citizen of New Zealand. Only 10% in total will make it through Selection.

NZSAS Special Forces Screen Test

Pre-Selection starts first, for civilians, with a 2-day phase, where they learn military skills for future phases of Selection. They then undergo 2 further days of psychological testing and get to understand what they will face in the next phase. The G1 test has to be accomplished to be considered for Selection and can be considered to be a pre-selection test. The 100 club is a status that a lot of soldiers aspire to reach. This listed test here, is a combination of various events in the first hour of selection, as the candidates have to go very hard on it. The candidates now have 2 hours before the ruck run is done with a weight of 35 KG. 7 KM in an hour have to be passed. No failure is allowed.

NZSAS Selection

The Selection Phase lasts in a total of 10 days. Candidates are always pushed a little further and are constantly testing the potential of the candidate. They go through Hare & Hounds Chase, where they have to run, and always make sure to not be caught by the Cadre who acts as sweepers. If you cannot outrun/ outwalk them, you will get kicked out of the course. This is still part of Day 1. This is followed by Solo Navigation Exercises for a few days in an open country, where candidates will be sleep and food-deprived. Exercise Von Tempsky is a test, where the candidates need to carry a 20-liter jerry can, plus their combat gear, through swampland and dense forest for 24 hours. Candidates also take turns carrying a second jerry can throughout those 24 hours. No breaks are given by the staff. Selection finishes with a 60 KM Ruck test, that needs to be finished in 20 hours through day and night. They are far from being selected. So far, they only passed Selection.

Attributes of an NZSAS Operator:

Hiranga Rerenga, Ririte, Whakahautanga
An NZSAS Candidate should come with Courage, a Mindset of a Team Player, Integrity, be humble, innovative, and strive for the highest standards of discipline. They have to be team players, come with a big sense of comradeship, and show humor in hard situations. The Candidates have to believe in "Brook no sense of class", which is a motto of the NZSAS to believe in complete equality regardless of where you come from. The soldier has to believe in what he is doing and has to keep on going no matter what.

More information NZSAS

So far, about 64 Civilians were accepted into Selection, only 7 made it through. Those candidates coming from the Street, and who make it through Selection, have to undergo further training in between Selection Phase and NZSAS 9 months training. They have to go through Basic Training and Infantry Corps training.