The name of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming, who died after a vehicle was driven at speed into her and other officers, was added to the Wall of Remembrance at the Police College this year.

She joined 33 other members of New Zealand Police who, since 1890, have been killed as the result of a criminal act while carrying out their duty. Lyn’s name is the only one belonging to a female and she is the only officer from Nelson to be killed doing their job.

The beloved senior sergeant, her 33 fellow Kiwis and Australian and South Pacific police officers slain on duty will be honoured on Police Remembrance Day, September 29 – the feast day of the Archangel Michael, patron saint of police.

NZ Police Association, Te Aka Hāpai president Chris Cahill encourages all New Zealanders to take pause that day to remember Police officers and employees who have been killed or died while doing their job.

“Police Remembrance Day is a chance to reflect and honour those who have made the ultimate sacrifice of giving their lives to protect their fellow New Zealanders,” Chris says.

“It is a reminder of the dangers all police officers face daily, but a danger they are willing to confront for the safety of our communities. It is a sobering occasion for the families and friends of the dead, and current officers and Police employees who attend, and it is extremely important that they all feel supported,” Chris says.

An official ceremony will be held at the Royal New Zealand Police College in Porirua on Friday, September 29, and the day will also be marked at other locations around the country.

As well as honouring those slain on duty, members of Police from 1886 onwards who died as a result of carrying out their duties will also be acknowledged. Police staff – serving and retired, sworn and non-sworn – who have died in the past year are also remembered. 

The tributes and calling of the Roll of Honour, a traditional salute, the laying of a wreath by the Commissioner of Police at the Wall of Remembrance and a haka are integral parts of the service.

Regional services

All services start at 11am on Monday, September 29, except in Waitangi.

Northland: Kaitaia RSA; Te Rau Aroha Museum, Waitangi Treaty Grounds, 2pm start; Whangārei Central Police Station.

Auckland, Waitematā, Counties Manukau: Auckland City Police Hub; Henderson Police Station; Orewa Police Station; North Shore Policing Centre; Whare Waananga, Manukau Police Station.

Waikato: St Peter’s Cathedral, 51 Victoria St.

Bay of Plenty: St Faith’s Church, Tunohopu St, Ōhinemutu.

Eastern: Elwood Function Centre, Otene Rd; Gisborne Police Station; Wairoa Police Station.

Central: New Plymouth Central Police Station; St Andrew’s Hall, Bell St, Whanganui; Palmerston North Police Station.

Tasman: Nelson Central Police Station; Lansdowne Hub, 6B Lansdowne St, Blenheim; Kōwhitirangi Memorial Hall, Hokitika.

Canterbury: Te Omeka courtyard, Christchurch Central Police Station; Ashburton Police Station; Constable James Dorgan’s graveside, Timaru Cemetery, Domain Ave, Timaru.

Southern: Oamaru Police Station; First Church, 415 Moray Pl, Dunedin; Ascension Church, 150 Don St, Invercargill; St Peter’s Anglican Church, 2 Church St, Queenstown; Gore Police Station.

A show of respect

Police staff, family members and others will wear the distinctive Huia Pin designed by the Police Association as a tangible way for members of Police to feel part of Remembrance Day and to honour the memory of their fallen colleagues.

The pin was introduced in partnership with NZ Police and has been embraced as the symbol of police remembrance in New Zealand.

“The pin commemorates those slain while carrying out their duty and also serves as an important reminder of the unique nature of policing – where the job itself brings with it the risk of death,” Chris says. “The growing number of those who wear the pin is a sign of respect for those who have lost their lives.”

The Police Remembrance Pin, or Huia Pin, is a police chevron-embedded huia tailfeather. Considered tapu by Māori, the wearing of the tailfeather as adornment is considered a great honour. 

The tail plumage of the huia bird, now also lost to us, is extremely special. The incorporation of the Police chevron into the tailfeather, with a small cut at the top, signifying loss, communicates the honour and loss of someone special to Police. 
 

The pin is attached to a card that reads: Huia e! Huia tangata kotahi. He tōtara kua hinga. (The feather of the huia! For someone special. One dearly departed.)

The pin is often worn in the week leading up to and then on Police Remembrance Day as well as in the days before and on the day of a Police funeral. The pin should be worn on the left lapel or left-hand side above any medals.

The pins cost $5 and are available year-round from thecopshop.nz (search “Huia”). 

Police Association committees will also co-ordinate the sale of a limited number of pins to members at 36 Police locations across New Zealand. All donations collected go to the Police Families Charitable Trust, which helps the families of police officers killed on duty.

Never forgotten

This year marks significant anniversaries of seven officers slain on duty:

Constable Matthew Hunt, June 19, 2020, shot dead during a routine traffic stop in West Auckland. His police partner was shot through the leg during the incident but survived.

Sergeant Stewart Graeme Guthrie, November 13, 1990, killed during the mass shooting at Aramoana in which 12 people died. 

Senior Constable Peter Morris Umbers, May 27, 1990, beaten to death with his own baton when he tried to stop a robbery suspect. 

Sergeant Gilbert Peter Arcus, February 4, 1970, suffered a fatal skull fracture when a mentally ill woman whom he was trying to placate pushed him to the floor. 

Constable Louis Hekenui Bidois, May 24, 1955, attacked and beaten while trying to control two offenders and later died from his injuries.

Sergeant John Patrick Hackett McGuire, April 14, 1910, shot during a manhunt for an escaped burglar near Palmerston North. 

Constable Neil McLeod, July 30, 1890 (the first name recorded on the Memorial Wall), shot and killed by an enraged and deranged man who had a hidden pistol. The number of officers slain on duty since 1890 is 34.