NZSAS training facility fit out contract signed

Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman says the new battle training facility for the NZSAS has reached another significant milestone with the signing of a $16.2 million fit out contract with Cubic Range Design Systems.

“It is important the New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) has high quality modern training facilities as they are required to maintain the highest standards of training in order to deploy at short notice,” says Dr Coleman.

“The existing NZSAS facility at Ardmore range training area was built over 30 years ago and no longer meets the training needs of the NZSAS. Operations in Afghanistan demonstrated that the NZSAS needs to be able to simulate more complex operations in training.

“The new $46 million training facility will enable the NZSAS to conduct a range of scenario based training using features such as staircases, lift wells, and specific structures like aircraft fuselages, ship’s bridges, and public transport. It will allow for all weather training, live firing, and different entry approaches, including the use of helicopters.

“A new simulation system will mean personnel can experience a range of interactive scenarios, improving the quality of training and vastly increasing the number of training hours.

“The facility will also be used for collective training at a multi-agency level. It will substantially increase the amount of training hours available for NZ Police.”

New Zealand based Ebert Construction, which was awarded the contract to construct the facility, began site works in March 2014. As part of the specialist fit out, Cubic Range Design Systems are likely to subcontract some work to New Zealand companies. The project is due to be completed by June 2015.