NZ Police looking for Kūki ‘Āirani recruits in Wellington

A Kūki ‘Āirani sergeant is hoping Pacific people living in Wellington will think about joining the New Zealand Police Force.

Wellington District Police are holding a recruitment seminar next month in hopes of reaching the second largest Pacific population in the country.

Speaking on PMN Cooks, Sergeant Ngametua Meti says she’s especially focused on bringing more Kūki 'Āirani into the force.

“We don’t have many (Pasifika in Police) here in Te Whanganui-ā-Tara, considering Porirua holds the second largest amount of Pasifika in the country.

“The goal is to try and reach out to our Pacific spaces, particularly our Cook Islanders because we have a large amount of Cook Islanders here in Wellington.”

The 2018 Census revealed over 42,000 Pacific people live in Wellington with 11% of the nation’s Cook Islands population residing in the area.

Sergeant Meti says of their uniformed 1000 Police staff in the Wellington District, only 75 are of Pacific descent.

She has been speaking with local churches, community groups, and families to help boost Pacific representation.

“I’m supporting about 10 Pasifika people and they (were) accumulated over a 12 month period. It’s not much in comparison to our other ethnic populations.”

She hopes the seminar will spark more interest among Pacific people who want to serve and protect their communities.

The recruitment event will be at Victoria Street Police Station in Wellington, March 5th.

Watch the full interview with Sergeant Ngametu Meti on PMN Cooks below.