Kāpiti teen Pyper-Alex Adams appointed to new role in NZ Cadet Forces

Raumati Beach's Pyper-Alex Adams will be the voice for NZ Cadet Forces members in the central region. Photo / Grace Odlum

A Kāpiti teenager has been appointed as the New Zealand Cadet Forces warrant officer for central New Zealand, covering Wellington to Taupō.

When 18-year-old Pyper-Alex Adams, from Raumati Beach, put her name forward for the role, it was not something she had previously planned on doing, but she said it was surreal to have been offered the job.

“It’s definitely not something that I joined cadets with the intention of becoming, and it’s not something that I really thought about until more recently.”

There are three area warrant officers across the country – northern, southern and central – and one national position.

“I am kind of like the voice for the cadets in the central region. I raise their concerns to headquarters and I just make sure the organisation is what they want it to be.”

There were certain requirements for getting the job, such as needing at least a restricted driver’s licence to be able to travel around the area and having been a warrant officer at unit level.

Adams, who is studying a bachelor of psychology at Victoria University, thinks she was also at an advantage due to being named New Zealand Defence Force’s Cadet of the Year last year.

“It shows that I have dedication.”

Pyper-Alex Adams has been appointed the cadet warrant officer for the central area. Photo / Grace Odlum

Her appointment will last for the next two years but she plans to stay in the cadets until she finishes studying after which she hopes to become an army psychologist.

Adams was following in her family’s footprints when she joined the cadets – her mother, father and sister had all been a part of the organisation.

Her sister persuaded her to join when she was 13 and she hasn’t looked back since.

Adams initially joined the No 49 (District of Kāpiti) Squadron but quickly transferred to the City of Porirua Cadet Unit where her father is the unit commander and her mother is the executive officer.

The New Zealand Cadet Forces is modelled on the New Zealand Defence Force and has existed in various forms since 1864, making it the oldest youth development organisation in the country.

The voluntary, uniformed organisation provides military-style leadership, personal development opportunities and adventure-based training to youth aged between 13 and 19.

Across its three branches - Navy Cadets, Army Cadets and Air Cadets - it provides young people with a hands-on, nationally co-ordinated training programme.