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Defence Minister Ron Mark and Associate Social Development Minister Peeni Henare have today opened a new youth development facility at Whenuapai Air Base.
The facility will host 640 young people a year while they are taking past in the Limited Service Volunteer programme.
The residential six-week programme run jointly by Defence and the Ministry for Social Development to help turn the lives of at risk young people around and move them into employment.
Mr Henare says it has proved to be an effective way to motivate rangatahi.
"Every person I have seen come out of LSV has been extremely motivated and move into employment, some move into the Defence Force, so it has been around for over 20 years and to see it is still going is clearly testament to its worth," he says.
Mr Henare says over the years the Defence Force has done a good job incorporating Māori kaupapa into the initiative.
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