Prince Harry could be the perfect patron of New Zealand Cadet Forces, said RadioNZ. After the recent royal trip, Duke of Sussex became one of the powerful persons who might want to contribute to youth development through NWCF programme.
Prince Harry is mentioned as being a patron of the Cadet Forces of New Zealand, according to a briefing note to Defence Minister Ron Mark in June. In particular, the document updates the group’s funding challenges and future. In fact, the Cadet Forces gave teenagers an opportunity to build self-confidence and leadership skills in the air, sea, or on the ground.
Duke of Sussex is just a perfect person for the position of the patron of Cadet Forces, whose number has been relatively stable in recent years. Moreover, the NZ Defence Force funded $3.4million for the cadet group each year, along with about $100,000 from each of the three services.
But there were resource pressures and the cadets had been “doing more, with less” in terms of funding and resources. Commandant of Cadet Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Grant Morris, said some travel had been cut and courses had been consolidated. He said it was looking at options for sponsorship – especially ahead of a big national field exercise in January 2020.
“Any large corporates, certainly regional or local businesses that might want to contribute to youth development through our programme,” Grant Morris said and added he hadn’t phoned the Duke of Sussex just yet.
The 34-year-old Prince Harry spent a decade in the military and was the first royal in more than 25 years to serve in a war zone, with two stints in Afghanistan. For young New Zealanders he could be just the best sample, the Defence Minister Ron Mark suggests.
