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The constabulary and managers' pay rounds are nearing completion. While the arbitrator considers the remaining disputes, members have already secured significant improvements. CARLA AMOS reports.

 

After three months of bargaining, mediation and voluntary facilitated bargaining, Police Association pay negotiations have reached their climax, with the remaining disputed issues now before final offer arbitration (FOA).

Arbitration hearings before Dr Andrew Dallas began in the first week of August, with binding decisions expected later this month.

While members are understandably focused on this year’s pay increases, the bargaining process has already secured a substantial package of improvements across the constabulary and managers’ collective agreements. The agreed changes have been endorsed by members and will form part of the new agreements regardless of the arbitrator’s decisions.

The remaining issues are now in the hands of the arbitrator after Police, the Police Association and the Police Leaders’ Guild were unable to reach agreement on every claim during bargaining and voluntary facilitated bargaining.

Association president Steve Watt says reaching this point followed months of careful consideration and negotiation.

“Every decision was made by the core negotiating team with significant input from the board of directors and our specialist pay advisers. We carefully weighed member feedback, bargaining history, the wider operating environment, the current economic environment and the insights gained throughout facilitated bargaining before settling on our final offer.”

Steve says the association also benefited from hearing the arbitrator’s observations during facilitated bargaining. “That provided valuable insight into how the issues were being viewed and helped shape the final position we put forward.”

He says while members are naturally focused on general wage increases (GWIs), bargaining has achieved much more than a pay claim.

“These are 12-month settlements, but we’ve also secured a significant package of improvements that will strengthen our collective agreements and help shape future bargaining – particularly the continued work on Police’s remuneration redesign.”

What is unresolved?

Only a small number of matters remain before the arbitrator after both parties narrowed the issues to those considered most important. Everything else has already been agreed, endorsed by members and will become part of the new collective agreements.

Constabulary

The Police Association and Police Leaders’ Guild are seeking:

  • a 3.1% general wage increase from July 1, 2026
  • employer-funded vision and hearing checks every two years
  • employer contributions of up to $200 towards prescription glasses, contact lenses or hearing devices where required following those examinations.

Police's final offer includes:

  • a 2.5% general wage increase from July 1, 2026 (up from 0.6%)
  • replacing a number of fixed meal, travel and incidental allowances with reimbursement of actual and reasonable expenses
  • amended callback provisions for work that does not require employees to return to the workplace.
Managers

The Police Association and Police Leaders’ Guild are seeking:

  • a 3.1% general wage increase from July 1, 2026
  • extending the existing health check provision to allow reimbursement of private health insurance premiums within the biannual health check allowance

Police’s final offer comprises:

  • a $1500 gross lump-sum payment for eligible managers employed at the time of the arbitration decision.


What happens next?

The arbitrator will consider each party’s final offer on every unresolved matter before issuing a binding determination.

Once the arbitrator’s determinations are released, the new collective agreements will incorporate both the matters already agreed during bargaining and the determinations on the remaining disputed issues.

The association says it will keep members informed throughout the process and will provide full details once the determinations are issued.

Already agreed

Although the headline issues remain unresolved, bargaining secured agreement on dozens of improvements across both collective agreements.

Many apply across both constabulary and managers, while others recognise the different responsibilities and employment conditions of managers. 

Among the key agreed changes are:

  • one-year collective agreements from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027, with any GWI backdated to July 1
  • Police-funded Sick Leave Banks
  • stronger workplace protections through improvements to natural justice, staff protection and restructuring provisions
  • improved wellbeing provisions, including health checks, fatigue management initiatives and clearer excessive hours provisions
  • enhanced career support through improvements to parental leave, KiwiSaver, career transition and flexible employment provisions
  • updated allowances and reimbursement provisions, including new managers’ shift loading and alignment of several managers’ allowances with other Police collectives
  • continued progress on the Remuneration Design Group, with Police and the unions committing to complete testing, implementation planning and an investment strategy for a new remuneration framework over the next 12 months
  • numerous technical and housekeeping improvements that modernise both collective agreements.

Constabulary members have also secured improvements including a 10-hour minimum break between shifts, right-to-disconnect provisions, reproductive health recognition within sick leave and consultation over significant uniform and equipment changes.

Managers’ agreed changes include shift loading for qualifying ad hoc shifts, clearer excessive hours provisions, improved promotion and re-banding rules, KiwiSaver enhancements, recognition of qualifying telephone calls as duty and stronger career development provisions.