Reservists

Getting your employer on board

Building positive working relationships with an employer helps you manage your Defence commitments. As a Reservist, there are a few things you’ll need to talk to your employer about to help them understand your military service. It’s essential to be open and honest with your boss, so they know what your commitments are, and can plan how to manage them with you.

Job interviews

Your commitment as a reservist doesn’t need to be a roadblock to getting a rewarding job. Giving back to the community is valuable, as is the ongoing training and support you receive, so your NZDF service should add merit to your job application. You may wish to discuss some of the key benefits and requirements associated with your service, such as:

Benefits: Leadership skills, teamwork, time management, resilience, fitness, motivation, planning, decisiveness and the individual skill sets you've developed in your current rank level.

Military requirements: A minimum of 20 days service is required from you per year. This time is made up from regular training (conducted on evenings and weekends) and occasional weekday service for courses, exercises or deployments.

Employer obligations: Reservists are legally entitled to leave without pay for specific periods of time, depending on the activity.  Your current or potential employer may have questions about this. Details of this can be found below, or direct your employer to the Employers of Reservists section of this website.

Be upfront with your boss

Your employer needs time to plan and to manage when you need to be away from work, so don’t spring your leave requirements on them. Instead, have an upfront and positive conversation with your employer.  You can direct them to our employers page to find out more information.

Time off for training

Your service to the NZDF is valuable, and special allowance for your needs to have time off work for training are protected by New Zealand employment law. Find out more about your rights:

• Defence Force Volunteers - Employment New Zealand(external link)
• Volunteers Employment Protection Act 1973(external link)

You're legally entitled to leave without pay for:

• up to three weeks for routine part-time service or training such as field exercises and weekend or evening training.
• up to three months for whole-time service or training such as initial basic training, officer commissioning courses, short-term operations, and annual exercises.

You need to give: 

• fourteen days minimum notice to your employer for part-time and whole-time service and training.