Dozens of New Zealand Police Officers Head to Australia in Recruitment Drive

Nearly 40 New Zealand police officers have left for jobs in Australia’s Northern Territory, lured by higher salaries and housing benefits, as reported by RNZ.

Northern Territory Police are offering first-year constables salaries of A$111,000 (NZ$137,000), compared with NZ$83,000 for recruits in New Zealand. Officers can also earn up to A$125,000 pre-tax, receive A$1000 for every overtime shift, and access housing benefits worth more than A$31,000 annually, reports RNZ.

So far, 36 New Zealand officers have taken up the offer. Seventeen have completed training and been deployed across the Northern Territory, while 19 others began a new training course last week. Recruitment seminars were held in the Eastern Bay of Plenty in November after police there showed strong interest.

According to RNZ, Northern Territory Police acting superintendent of recruitment and selection Serge Bouma said money was a motivator, but not the only reason officers were signing up. “We want people who are looking for an adventure, something different,” he said. “What we find, certainly the New Zealand police cohort, is that we have some very good applicants, they want to look after their family and do something different.”

Bouma said some officers were likely motivated by the chance to secure a stronger financial future or retirement before returning to New Zealand.

RNZ reports that New Zealand Police Assistant Commissioner Tusha Penny told Morning Report the country could not compete with Australia on pay or housing allowances. “The reality is we can’t compete if they are after money alone,” she said, noting that 98 per cent of the recent departures from Bay of Plenty Police were financially motivated.

Penny said policing overseas was increasingly becoming a type of “OE” experience for officers, and New Zealand’s strategy would be to emphasise the importance of serving in their communities. “We can’t compete with the finance, but what we can do is remind them that New Zealand is home.”

When asked about the Government’s target of recruiting an additional 500 officers, Penny said she had not spoken directly to ministers about pay or recruitment issues. However, she insisted police were focused on meeting the target through campaigns to attract new recruits and encourage officers to return.