Morrinsville officer thriving on challenges of the Korean DMZ

Captain Findlay is based at Camp Bonifas, near the demilitarized zone, where she is an Assistant Joint Duty Officer with the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission.  It is part of the United Nations Command (UNC), which is the multinational military force that has safeguarded the peace armistice on the peninsula since 1953.

Her duties are important in supporting the commission’s everyday operations. She facilitates critical daily communications between the UNC and the Korean People’s Army and her responsibilities also include conducting high-level orientations for VIP visitors. 

She shares with them the history and enduring significance of one of the world’s most sensitive military environments.

For Captain Findlay, the opportunity to work alongside international partners has been a career-defining experience.

“It’s been fantastic. You’re working in a genuinely operational environment and alongside people from different nations every day.”

Captain Findlay grew up in Morrinsville and attended Morrinsville College. Sport, fitness and horses were central to her upbringing, helping shape a determined mindset.

Partly influenced by her older sister, who is also in the New Zealand Army, Captain Findlay enlisted straight from school in 2018.

After beginning at the New Zealand Officer Cadet School, she continued her commissioning training at the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in Australia.

Graduating as an engineering officer, Captain Findlay joined the Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers, where the engineering trade demanded technical skill, leadership and adaptability.

She has since deployed as operational support to humanitarian and disaster relief efforts following the 2022 Tongan volcanic eruption and tsunami, training exercises in Niue, and held key staff appointments within NZ Army headquarters. 

A career highlight was a role at the Officer Cadet School at Waiouru, where she was both Adjutant and Senior Instructor in the Leadership Wing, helping mentor and develop future NZ Army leaders.

Her strong performance and leadership experience led to her selection for the Korean deployment.

Captain Findlay is also a high-performing athlete. She recently placed second in her division at the New Zealand CrossFit Nationals, earning promotion into the elite division for upcoming competition.

This deployment has strengthened her training. 

“With no outside distractions, it’s actually been great for training,” she said. “I train in the morning and afternoon most days.

“I always wanted to do something where I could be paid to be fit,” she joked.