Who are our Leaders?
All our leaders are volunteers, and give their time willingly. Leaders undergo relevant training so as to deliver the National Programs issued by Scouting New Zealand in a safe and age appropriate manner. Leaders are all Police vetted, and hold a St. Johns First Aid certificate. Many have additional qualifications and training in various other activities that are occasionally run by the group. Often, leaders are parents of existing or past scouts, who saw the benefit to their child and wanted to give something back to the organisation.
We are always looking out for new leaders, so should you feel you have something to give and advance our group then please ask any of our leaders or contact our Group leader.
See the individual Leaders Profiles for more information about individual leaders.
Becoming a Leader
You wish to become a Scout Leader? Great! We are always looking for new people who are willing to volunteer and help support the organisation. The more Leaders we have, the more time we can spend organising exciting activities for your child and others. You do not need to be a New Zealand citizen to become a Scout leader, though being a citizen or resident is beneficial, but you do need to be able to commit to working with us for at least a year.
First of all, you should talk with a current leader in the appropriate section (Keas, Cubs, or Scouts). They will be able to tell you more, and get your application started. You will also need to complete some training before you can become fully Warranted and receive your scarf at a special ceremony.
All the training, and your uniform, are provided and paid for by Scouts, though you are expected to be able to commit to volunteering for at least a year. You can also receive a discount on the termly fee for any children you have in any of our sections.
You will need to:
- Speak with an existing Leader, Section Leader, or the Group leader to confirm your intention.
- Email groupleader@cmas.nz to let the Group Leader know that you are applying (if you have not already spoken)
- Complete the online application form:
- Access the application form online here
- Give group as “Captain Musick Air Scouts“
- Select Role as “Kea Leader“, “Cub Leader“, or “Scout Leader” depending on which section you are applying to
- Give the name of the Group Leader who gave prior approval
- Provide two character references who have known you for a long time but are not related to you. Your employer could be one of them, for example, or a neighbour.
- Be police vetted (this may take some time, possibly up to 3 months). As long as you do not have any criminal convictions, this should not be an issue, but if you have any concerns, please talk to the Group Leader before applying. Note that, if you have not lived in New Zealand for long, this will take longer to organise.
- Plan to obtain a current St John First Aid certificate (or equivalent). The Scouts organise this periodically, or you can contact St John directly; you may already have the qualification through your workplace, if you are a designated firstaider, or work in in healthcare. You can arrange this after you receive your warrant, though it is better to get it done early.
Once you have been provisionally accepted as a leader, you can book a “First Aid Level 1” course on the St John website, and claim the costs back from Scouts. - Obtain your uniform (blue Air Scouts shirt, and purple Adventure Plus t-shirt) from Scouting Direct. These costs can be claimed back from CMAS.
- After receiving your warrant, you should complete Leader training courses, and learn the basic skills. The training structure is due to be revised in 2021 and so you should ask.
Once you have received your Warrant, and your Group scarf, there are additional training courses you can optionally take to gain more skills in Scouting, such as certification for activities such as sailing, climbing, caving, and so on, as well as more advanced first aid courses and mental health training
Note that you are able to start working as an Assistant Leader once the reference checks have been made, but you do not receive your Warrant until you have completed the first training and had your Police check completed.
Once you have been a Warranted Leader for at least a year, and have completed both training courses and the First Aid course, you receive your Gilwell Woggle. After two years, you can optionally take additional SAPD training to gain more skills, and qualify for the ‘Wood badge’ (this is the pair of beads on a string).
Parent Helpers
If you want to help out, but do not have the available time to commit to becoming a Leader, then you can still volunteer as a Parent Helper for certain events, such as camps, when we need extra help. Parent Helpers are also Police vetted, so if you feel you can help us out, please let a leader know so that the paperwork can be completed. Then, you’ll be able to help out at events, under the guidance of a Warranted Leader.
For more information on this, see the Parent Helpers page.
Committee members
If you want to help out, but cannot take on the full role of Leader, then maybe you would like to join the Committee. We need people to fill the various administrative roles that allow Captain Musick Scouts to operate – see the Committee page for details on what these roles are. Elections are held every December at the AGM – if you would like to stand for one of the roles, please speak with a leader or existing committee member.
