Police officers in Aotearoa New Zealand confront some of the most challenging  scenarios of anyone in the country. They go bravely towards uncertainty and danger to ensure the safety of their fellow Kiwis. It is a 24/7 job every day of every year. 

Each shift calls for crucial, split-second decision making and how officers deal with that can be highly scrutinised and often maligned publicly, legally and politically. Mental and physical injuries are not uncommon, and the shifts they work are anti-social and often impede family life.

These realities underpin the difficulty in meeting arbitrary government deadlines for officer recruitment – a promise of 1800 by the previous government took six years rather than the promised three; the current government had to extend its commitment to 500 extra cops in two years to three years, although it is likely to miss November’s election.

Unlike most public sector workers, police officers cannot strike to protest unfair pay for the dangerous and difficult work they do for their communities. Without better recognition over the years, their purchasing power has all but stagnated.

At five years’ service, police officers earn over $9000 less than the base salary of a nurse with the same tenure. At 10 years’ service, officers would be at least $2000 better off per year if they had become teachers. 

Some officers are forced to take on secondary employment. The NZ Police Association, Te Aka Hāpai believes that could increase given the continuing financial crisis we are in. Many police officers leave to join trades, other private sector organisations, or head to Australia where A$20,000 payments and higher salaries  are offered to entice them. 

The average service of a police officer has dropped to 14 years. It used to be considered a lifelong career. Cops don’t join Police so they can head offshore or into another field; they join to make our communities safer by catching criminals and supporting victims of crime. However, today’s realities require them to deal with ever-increasing complex social issues, more dangerous frontline incidents and staffing deficits that hamper their ability to be the effective officers they trained to be.

Meagre pay increases that barely, if at all, meet cost-of-living increases are a deeply demoralising affront to the work they do every day and every night.

What can you do to support us?

The public: Show your support for dignified pay and safe staffing levels for local constabulary by signing our Repay the Risk petition. (NB: The petition will launch in May on together.org.nz.) You can also distribute our stickers.

Members of Parliament: Pledge your support for increased staffing and pay for Aotearoa’s constabulary. Sign our petition and urgently talk with your parliamentary colleagues about the staffing and pay issues of your constituent police officers.

Police pay:

• 97.4% of constables rated a pay rise that recognises cost‑of‑living increases as “important” or “very important” in a recent NZPA survey).
• At 10 years, constables earn about $2000 less than trained secondary school teachers and $9000 less than registered nurses, occupations that are also undervalued.
• 68% of constables report having considered leaving in the past year; 9.62% cite Australia or overseas employment as a reason for leaving. 
• Benchmarking against Australia pay (2024-2025) shows NZ constables are the second‑lowest paid at the five‑year mark, and the lowest paid at the 10-year mark in all of Australasia. 
• Between 2015 and 2025, base salaries increased only ~5% in real terms after adjusting for inflation. Most pay growth over the decade was absorbed by rising consumer prices. 
• A recent piece of work by international consultants indicates that police pay is below market in New Zealand. 

On top of pay issues:

• Last year, referrals to Wellness advisers (counselling support) increased by 21%. Most relate to traumatic incidents.
• Academic research estimates that 14% of NZ Police experience clinically relevant PTSD, about 3.5 times the global population average.
• 69% of officers report direct exposure to traumatic incidents, 47% report clinically significant sleep problems, and 57% report hazardous drinking.
• In the recent Payround Survey, 61.2% of constables rated better mental health and wellbeing support as “important” or “very important”.
• 79.2% of constables and 67.3% of Police managers report that understaffing affected them in their role over the past year. Every region has files for which there are no police to take the case, meaning members of the public receive reduced service or longer wait times.
• Between 2011 and 2025, New Zealand’s population grew steadily, while constabulary numbers increased slowly and unevenly. The gang population is growing significantly faster than the constabulary, (9.17% compared to 1.44% for constables). The NZ gang population exceeded the constabulary in 2026.
• Police worked more than 97,000 hours of overtime between July and December last year. The understaffing that drives additional hours adds to officers’ wellbeing concerns.
• In 2024-25, Police received 8825 applicants and 684 recruits graduated. The year before, there were 5282 applicants and 480 graduates. Many applicants required extended time to meet entry standards. Recruitment into Police is vital. A growing number of police officers are at or nearing retirement.
• 86.9% of respondents to the recent Payround Survey indicated that higher pay would make recruitment easier.