No. 13 (City of Napier) Squadron, Air Training Corps

17/09/2026

Yesterday evening, our cadets were fortunate to receive an outstanding presentation from Nathan of the Napier Aero Club on the effects of aircraft controls and the fundamentals of flight.

Nathan brings an impressive depth of aviation experience to the classroom. A former Royal New Zealand Air Force Flight Instructor and Captain of the RNZAF Boeing 757, Nathan now flies as a Second Officer with Air New Zealand.

The session gave our cadets an insight into more than just the initial theory of flight. They explored how an aircraft responds to its controls, the principles that keep an aircraft flying, and what they can expect when they take their first steps into flight training.

For our cadets, opportunities like this provide a valuable connection between what they learn on parade and the aviation industry beyond the Squadron.

A huge thank you to the Napier Aero Club for providing such an informative, engaging and knowledgeable session for our cadets. We greatly value the partnership we have built over the past years and look forward to continuing it, creating many more opportunities for our cadets to learn, experience and be inspired by aviation.

29/06/2026

Last week No. 13 Squadron had the privilege of hosting two outstanding leaders from the New Zealand Defence Force at our 2026 Annual Formal Dinner, held at the Taradale RSA.

We were honoured to welcome Group Captain Bernadette Pothan, Commander of the New Zealand Defence College, and Wing Commander George Magdalinos, Director of Defence Recruiting, as our guest speakers.

Our cadets were inspired by their experiences, leadership journeys, and insights into service, resilience, and the opportunities available within the NZ Defence Force. It was an invaluable opportunity for our young people to hear firsthand from two influential leaders whose careers exemplify dedication, professionalism, and service to New Zealand.

A sincere thank you to Group Captain Pothan, Wing Commander Magdalinos, Wing Commander Phill Bedford, Squadron Leader James Mist, and Lieutenant Sophie Wells - oh and 'The Doc' SS Mr. Bob Harris for taking the time to invest in our cadets and make this year's Formal Dinner such a memorable occasion.

As always a heartfelt thank you to the Taradale RSA Club for continuing to host this annual tradition.

27/06/2026

On Thursday evening, No. 13 Squadron proudly conducted our annual Attestation Parade, a significant milestone where our newest recruits officially took their oath and were welcomed into the New Zealand Cadet Forces as Cadets (CDTs).

Attestation marks the beginning of each cadet's journey, symbolising their commitment to our core values of Courage, Commitment, Comradeship, and Integrity. We are incredibly proud to welcome these young people into our Squadron and look forward to watching them grow into the leaders of tomorrow.

We were honoured to have SQNLDR James Mist in attendance to help mark this important occasion. A special thank you also goes to Supplementary Staff Rob Dickson and the accompanying drummer, whose stirring bagpipe and drum performance added a memorable and ceremonial touch to the parade.

Congratulations to our newest Cadets, we are proud to have you join the No. 13 Squadron family. Your adventure starts here!

20/04/2026

During the first week of the holidays No. 13 SQN had three cadets partake in the 02/26 JNCO Course held at RNZAF Base Ohakea.

Over the seven day course they were taught theory in leadership, instructional technique, presentation skills and squad handling, and then this theory was placed into practice with terminal assessments.

Congratulations to Acting Corporals Pickett, Peacock and Guilford, P., who attended the course.

18/04/2026

31/03/2026

Thank you to Hawke's Bay Airport, Napier Aero Club and Airways New Zealand for accomodating our Squadron last week.

Our Cadets had the exciting thrills of touring the new Fire Station (yes, we got to play with the sirens and water cannons!), and the Unique opportunity to observe night operations at the Control Tower.

We never take these opportunities for granted, and we thank everyone involved for their continued support and time taken to ensure that our organisations have solid inter-organisational relationships.