Police has moved a step closer to upgrading and extending facilities at Kawakawa and Whangārei as part of its Delivery of 500 Constables Property Programme – but the planned work has come as a surprise to Police Association members in the region.

Police has gone to tender for a main contractor to deliver the two projects, with construction expected to begin in November and both projects targeted for completion before February 2027. The notice says the programme is intended to support increased staffing numbers and improve the functionality of Police facilities in Northland.

At Kawakawa, the proposed work includes an extension to the existing building to provide additional workspace and supporting infrastructure “to accommodate current and future staffing requirements”, along with internal fit-out and reconfiguration. There will also be work on the garage, vehicle and operational storage, and the front gate, fencing, yard, access and associated groundworks.

At Whangārei’s Walton Plaza Police Hub, the work is focused on reconfiguring the existing building and includes additional locker and shower facilities, meeting-room space and revised desk and workstation arrangements. The work is expected to take pressure off the already-squeezed main Whangārei station and provide additional locker capacity for future Northland staff. 

Police notes that the project will need to accommodate the landlord, existing tenancy constraints and continued operational use of the premises for the teams based there.

A Police Association member in the region says they had heard “murmurings” about locker-room upgrades, but that is the extent of their knowledge of the planned work. The tender was the first indication that the rumours were true – and that the work is not too far off.

Meanwhile, Police Association president Steve Watt questioned Police’s focus.

“While it is positive to see Police upgrading facilities and increasing infrastructure capacity, there are still other stations in desperate need of repair. Blenheim is one such station, and this prompts questions about the prioritisation process and whether investment is being directed to the areas of greatest need.”

Brought to you by the letter D?

The D500 designation raises some interesting questions. On November 27, 2023, the coalition Government promised to add 500 constabulary officers to Police by November 27, 2025. 

As of August 24, 2026, the constabulary stood at 10,563 – a net increase of 352 officers. That means Police has achieved 70.4% of the promised increase to 10,711 officers.

The connection to D500 raises a question about how the property investment is being matched to the staffing increase – particularly with Police still 148 constables short of the original 500-officer target.

The Government’s original D500 funding package included capital funding for Police infrastructure, including station investment.

The timing raises some obvious questions: If the D500 increase has already delivered 352 additional officers, where is the corresponding investment in the infrastructure needed to accommodate them? Is Police now putting infrastructure in place ahead of the remaining recruitment? 

Are the Northland works part of a broader facilities programme that was always intended to accompany the D500 increase? Association members currently working in cramped, ramshackle stations elsewhere in the country might well ask what is planned for their workplaces. As one Northland member put it: “It would be nice if we build fit-for-purpose stations with a bit of room for growth.”

Another big question: Will the refreshed facilities be capable of supporting not just the workforce the D500 property programme is intending to accommodate, but any future growth Police is asked to deliver? Members have made it clear in Police News in the past that

Police is not well known for future-proofing its facilities.

Tenderers were invited to visit the sites in late August to familiarise themselves with existing conditions and the project scope before tender submissions close on September 18.