No pain, no gain.
For three months, recruits are put through their paces at Waiouru, in the central North Island, before being deployed to army camps nationwide.
Early starts, infrequent and brief showers, arduous physical activity and restricted liberties are daily reminders that boot camp is not for the faint-hearted.
Young, fit men find it tough.
And so do the handful of women lured by life in the military.
Kat Brown and Michelle Bourke remember only too well the physical pain and mental challenges of basic army training.
Ms Brown (27), a first-year health science student at Otago, joined the army in September 2004 as an 18-year-old.
She wanted to be a nurse and was inspired by her father's long army career, so enlisted as a medic.
In January, she left Burnham Military Camp near Christchurch as a corporal, hoping to get into medical school and become a doctor.
Dunedin's university campus is a far cry from the barracks, but Ms Brown is putting to good use the skills she honed during eight and a-half years in the army. She owes her time management, self-discipline and no-quit mentality to the military, and remains a corporal in the territorial force.
Similarly, Ms Bourke (28) is serious about making the most of her time as a student after working at three trades in the army.
Her eight years in the military taught her to take responsibility and to use her mental strength.
''When things are stressful, I think about the hardest times in the army and I know I can get through.''
Ms Bourke is in her second year of an environmental management degree at Otago, having left Burnham in December 2010 to study.
She joined the army as a 17-year-old in 2002, following a cadets programme.
''I'd had enough of school and wanted to do something challenging. The whole lifestyle change attracted me - it was all action, all go - and I thought it [the army] would be lifelong for me.''
Ms Bourke was a reasonably fit teenager, and not worried at the time about the army's physical requirements.
''I played a bit of high school sport, but even that was not enough for what I was in for. It definitely helps to be fit and active.''
Athleticism was also far from Ms Brown's mind when she joined.
''My dad loved his job in the army and had amazing opportunities in terms of travel, and I saw it as a more unique day-to-day job. He suggested I should do some pre-training so I started going for runs, but I definitely wasn't fit.''
From the moment they arrived at Waiouru, life ceased to be easy.
''The big thing about basic training is it's such a shock to the system, because all of a sudden you're up at 5.30am and have 15 minutes to make your bed, have a shower and be dressed. You have breakfast then go to physical training and an hour later try not to bring it [breakfast] up again.
''You have to march everywhere, people are yelling at you, and you have to ask permission to do everything,'' Ms Brown said.
''Coming from a military family, I knew I just had to get through those first three months and it would be better. It's definitely a test of your ability to cope when times are tough.''
Walking the Waiouru hills in uniform with 30kg packs, rifles and combat gear was designed to be difficult for the largest and strongest recruits, so most women found it even harder because of their size.
''I will never forget that pain,'' Ms Bourke said.
In such circumstances, mental strength was crucial.
''A lot of it is mindset. You can play the female card if you want, but it doesn't really get you anywhere.''
She found one benefit of being a woman in the army was having the desire to prove others wrong, and was motivated to succeed because there was an expectation she would fail.
Being underdogs made women stronger.
''There is that stigma, like in any workplace. They think 'she won't be able to carry that', but you do,'' Ms Bourke said.
She was ''sick of being last'' in technical rifle drills, so put in the extra practice and ended up beating most of her male counterparts to take the position of second gunner.
Ms Brown added, ''You get a lot of respect if you can do it without complaining.''
More of a shock for Ms Bourke was the requirement to go days without the already time-restricted showers.
Female recruits were given lessons in maintaining basic hygiene within their regimented routine, by senior female soldiers who had been through it and could offer advice.
Despite the hardship of basic training, both Ms Bourke and Ms Brown were fond of the army and recommended it for a variety of reasons.
''Everyday life after basic training is completely different. It's just your normal 8.30am to 4pm day,'' Ms Bourke said.
''You can earn while you learn, and you get qualifications without a student loan. For that age, you won't find the same pay for what you do, or get the same life skills.''
Ms Brown admitted it could be ''a bit much'' being the only female within a group, but the army offered great camaraderie.
''I don't think you get sick of being a minority, and I would definitely consider going back. It's a great lifestyle and I love working with people who are also my friends.
''Like any job, there are things you might not like, but overall I would definitely recommend it.''
Last year, 217 women joined the NZDF, enlisting in the army (93), navy (80) and air force (44).
By the end of the enlistment year, 180 of the female recruits remained.
The number of women in the NZDF last year was 1339, representing 16% of all personnel.
The army had 540 women (12.8% of its staff), the navy had 412 women (22%) and the air force 387 (16.9%).
In the past decade, the number of women in the NZDF has fluctuated between 15.2% and 16.9%. Numbers increased from 1283 in 2002 to a peak of 1620 in 2009, but had since dropped each year.
The trend worried the NZDF, and so in June it held a two-day Women's Development Forum at the Trentham Racecourse at Upper Hutt.
Attending the forum were about 200 participants, including men and women from the New Zealand air force, navy and army, and various national agencies as well as the Australian air force and army.
About 15% of those attending were male - a deliberate attempt to illustrate the existing ratio in reverse.
Speakers including Justice Minister Judith Collins shared their experiences and strategies for succeeding in male-dominated environments, and workshops focused on better recruitment and retention of women.
Following the forum, Chief of Army Major-general Dave Gawn wrote in the June issue of Army News about the lack of female soldiers.
He said the defence force could not afford to ''neglect over half of New Zealand's demographic'', and although women were succeeding in all military trades, the recruitment and retention of female soldiers remained ''poor''.
''This low appeal may be understandable in the combat trades where the physical demands, particularly load-carrying in excess of 60kg, are beyond the capacity of many. But it is the same across all trades.''
Women left the army to start and raise families, which meant existing ''family-friendly'' policies, including part-time work, flexible hours and work-from-home options, should be actively promoted, Maj-gen Gawn said.
But above all, the defence force had a bigger challenge in attracting women to join the army in the first place.
''Perceptions are reality and the reality is that the army is not an attractive option for women. Studies have shown that gender perceptions and attitudes will not change until the percentage of women in our army grows closer to 30%.
''That is our target, and 13% is not even close. We have a long way to go, but we're working on it.''
