Survival of the fittest: New Zealand soldiers training to survive in Fijian bush

A Fijian soldier shows off his cooking skills in the Fijian bush. Photo / RFMF

A group of Kiwi soldiers have gone bush in Fiji as part of an intense training programme designed to test their survival skills in the jungle.

Students from the Officer Cadet School of NZ are in Fiji this month taking part in the Republic of Fiji Military Forces' programme.

Exercise Veitiutaki is an initiative that sees soldiers being place in the jungle with minimal equipment and no food.

The programme tests soldiers' command, leadership and battle craft skills while in a jungle environment in the Nausori Highlands.

They have been learning how to set up traps and snares, collect water, light a fire without matches, build shelter and understand how to use effectively use items in a survival kit. They have also been taught what is edible in the jungle.

Fijian military staff have been teaching Kiwi soldiers survival tips this month. Photo / RFMF

The food soldiers found as part of their survival skills training in the Fijian jungle. Photo / RFMF

OCS senior instructor Captain Jonty Hooson said this part of the survival exercise was not only hugely beneficial to the cadets, but one they enjoyed.

"They caught eels, shrimp, water lobster - and learned more about one another," Hooson said.

"By exposing our cadets to this environment, they proved that they can survive with minimal equipment.

"Our cadets are better people after conducting the integration and survival exercise. They are learning to accept different cultures and different customs and are gaining knowledge from RFMF about how to use natural resources."

The training course involves 90 Kiwi soldiers, 72 personnel from Fiji and four international students from Tonga and Fiji.

A field training exercise such as this is held each year by the OCS and a close partner nation as part of the NZ Commissioning Course.

It is an exercise that is focused on military leadership, command and field training that seeks to enhance compatibility and maintain genuine partnerships, the NZ Defence said.

In previous years, the initiative has been held in Tonga, Samoa, Brunei and Papua New Guinea.

Students from the Officer Cadet School of NZ have been learning survival skills from their Fijian military colleagues. Photo / RFMF