On the front lines: Meet soldier and lifeguard James Mallett

While most people would feel like they have too much on their plate, James has always been drawn to the hustle. He knew that he wanted to be in the army since he saw his cousin’s graduation parade at 12-years-old and has tailored his life to make this a reality.  

Out of college, he started looking for service roles that would help him earn a living, while also complementing his army training. When the opportunity came up to be a lifeguard at Karori Pool, James took the chance and became qualified in 2021.  Around the same time, he went into basic training for the NZ Army. 

It’s been three years into his lifeguarding and New Zealand Army career with 5th/7th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, and four years into his study at Victoria University, and James says it’s a challenge he enjoys. 

“It's been quite a juggling act for me, but I've managed to stay on top of it all by planning everything in advance to ensure I can attend the military trainings, which typically occur one weekend per month. A typical week for me would be 20 hours a week of classes, 10 to 20 hours of additional university work, and 24 hours working at the pool.

“I also exercise every day, play futsal once a week, sauna most days and sleep the rest! It's a challenging schedule, but I like keeping busy.”

He believes that working as a lifeguard has set him up for success in his NZ Army career, and vice versa. 

“Waking up between 4.30am - 5am for morning shifts has gotten me used to early starts! On a more serious note, I've had the opportunity to develop my leadership and management skills by running shifts, taking courses, and learning from our duty managers, which has enabled me to become a senior lifeguard. 

“Working as a lifeguard has also developed my interest in service. As lifeguards, we serve our community by making the pool a safe, welcoming, and fun environment. The importance of service is something I took with me when I was deployed as part of the Cyclone Gabrielle relief effort in the Wairarapa last year. We aided a small community, Tīnui, where people's lives had been flipped upside down by the damage of the cyclone.”

James believes that becoming a lifeguard can open people up to more opportunities than they could imagine.

“Lifeguarding is about more than just monitoring the pool. It's an opportunity to acquire a diverse set of skills, from first aid to customer service and pool operations. 

“If you're eager to learn new skills and positively impact the community, you'll thrive. We have a great team that is passionate about their work and can provide guidance as you navigate your career in the pools.”

Working for Wellington  

We're always looking for people who share our passion for Wellington, and want to help us make our city an even better place to live, work and play. Find out about job vacancies, employee benefits, and what it’s like working for Wellington as a lifeguard on our careers webpage.