2027 is an exciting year for our Youth programme as we celebrate its 100th year, which will bring about great opportunities and responsibilities for our National Cadet of the Year.

We want to say a big congratulations to Nate Woods, our 2027 National Cadet of the Year. Nate Woods is from our Ashburton division and presented himself as a cadet full of passion for the potential his generation has to offer, and dedication to bringing that potential to fruition. He is poised to become a brilliant advocate for youth at Hato Hone St John during the programme's centenary year.

2027 will be an important milestone for the Youth programme, as it marks 100 years of being active in Aotearoa New Zealand. This impending milestone means that our National Cadet of the Year will need to be prepared to speak for the programme in public - potentially fronting media coverage. “We had to ensure that whoever the National Cadet of the Year was, they could comfortably and competently talk about our programme in a high-pressured scenario,” says Kerry, our National Youth Manager. “They needed to understand the importance of next year's milestone, and the added responsibilities that may bring. We will, of course, provide coaching and support on how to handle this task.”

Nate will take the reigns from our outgoing National Cadet of the Year, Zara, in the new year. We want to say a massive thank you to Zara for all the hard work she has done and continues to do.