Our people
Our Royal New Zealand Air Force is powered by highly trained professionals, who embody and promote New Zealand’s values.
We are made up of a diverse range of New Zealanders, who reflect the values and attitudes of our population. Our Regular Force, Reserves and civilian employees work together to do their job at home and overseas.
Our people, who we refer to as airmen, are the most important part of our capability; they are central to our success. They belong to a team and they rely on each other to be successful.
Regular Force
Our Regular Force is made up of people who fill a wide variety of roles. Our people are trained in skills specific to their trade as well as military skills applicable to their role such as planning, leadership and command. They serve on and support operational deployments and undertake training, both in New Zealand and overseas. Our people also fill management and corporate functions on bases, camps and in headquarters.
Reserves
Our Reserves provide extra depth and diversity by working and training with us part-time. Reserves complement our Regular Force by providing additional capacity and expertise, ready to respond to events in New Zealand and overseas.
Civilian personnel
Civilian employees fill a wide range of specialist and corporate roles that do not require deployment to an operational environment. The work they do is essential to our Air Force.
By the numbers
Our Air Force is comprised of more than 2,800 Regular Force and Reserve personnel, as set out in the following tables.
Information last updated: 3 March 2024
Headcount by arm
| REGULAR FORCE | 2,383 |
|---|---|
| RESERVE FORCE | 458 |
| TOTAL | 2,841 |
Regular Force headcount by gender
| female | 565 | |
|---|---|---|
| male | 1,818 | |
| Total | 2,383 |
Our ranks
The rank system forms the backbone of our military structure and defines the role of commissioned and non-commissioned personnel, and the degree of responsibility they hold.
Commissioned Officers
| RANK | ABBREVIATION |
|---|---|
|
Air Marshal |
AM |
| Air Vice-Marshal | AVM |
| Air Commodore | AIRCDRE |
| Group Captain | GPCAPT |
| Wing Commander | WGCDR |
|
Squadron Leader |
SQNLDR |
|
Flight Lieutenant |
FLTLT |
|
Flying Officer |
FGOFF |
|
Pilot Officer |
PLTOFF |
Non-Commissioned Personnel
| RANK | ABBREVIATION |
|---|---|
|
Warrant Officer |
W/O |
| Flight Sergeant | F/S |
| Sergeant | SGT |
| Corporal | CPL |
| Leading Aircraftman | LAC |
| Aircraftman | AC |
Our creed
I belong to the Royal New Zealand Air Force
I am committed to our mission and values
I honour our legacy and embrace our future
I have the courage to stand for what is right
I serve the people of New Zealand in peace, crisis and conflict
I am a guardian of Aotearoa
Ko te tauaarangi ahau
I am an airman