Pacific communities look to Auckland police campus to deliver real change in recruitment

The Auckland-based police training programme is seen as a key opportunity for increasing Pacific representation within the police force.

This comes as Pacific families celebrated a milestone on Friday as the first cohort to train at the Royal New Zealand Police College’s new Auckland campus marched out in Tāmaki Makauau.

But for many in the Pacific community, Wing 390’s graduation represents something bigger than a ceremony - it is an early test of whether police can finally remove long-standing barriers that have kept Pasifika recruitment numbers stubbornly low.

Wing 390, which includes several Pacific recruits, is the first group to complete most of its 20-week training in Auckland.

For Pacific families, who rely on intergenerational support, church commitments, and shared caregiving roles, the relocation requirement has been one of the biggest hurdles to joining the force.

As of 2023, 7.8 per cent of the police workforce is Pasifika, an increase from 5.4 per cent in 2017. But the long training period in Porirua has posed challenges for some families.

Inspector Sila Fagasea Siaki, Tāmaki Makaurau Pacific Responsiveness Manager, says the option to train in Auckland is important for many considering a career with the police. Photo/PMN News/Khalia Strong

Inspector Sila Fagasea Siaki, a Police Pacific Responsiveness Manager, says the shift north is removing barriers for Pacific applicants who previously struggled with relocation.

“Our Pacific community will start seeing that there is an opportunity to stay and to train in Auckland. It’s just surreal. We’ve got four or five of them in the mix today in Wing 390, so hopefully, we get a few more that will want to train up here.

“The knowledge that you’re just a drive away makes it easier for them to study. The stress of being away from home, the fact that they can help out when needed, it does make a big difference for our people.”

Saint Lucia Lolohea, 20, graduates from the Royal New Zealand Police College. Photo/PMN News

Constable Saint Lucia Lolohea, 20, says he is grateful for being able to maintain family connections during training.

“It's always been a dream of mine since I was a little boy. My uncle was a police officer. He’s from England, and he motivated me to be a cop. After Covid, I was motivated to join because I knew that I wouldn't be kicked out of the job. It was just making sure that it's going to be there 100 per cent for me, and I'll be there 100 per cent for it as well.”

Lolohea has Tongan heritage and links to Te Aupōuri iwi in the Far North. His family shared an emotional haka toutoko in response to the police haka performed during the ceremony.

He says maintaining his connection with whānau throughout the training process was crucial. “I got to see our family every weekend… When we went over to Wellington for five weeks, it was a bit stressful, not being able to see family.”

Constable Bjorn Haycock, 25, who is of Niuean and Sāmoan descent, says becoming a police officer has been his dream since he was a teenager, and it was important to celebrate with family.

“It’s a job where you can really make a difference in the community and to really give back to the community that has raised me and many other people. We’ve got a big family, obviously. It’s nice for them to be here and for them to make it up here. It makes me very proud and fills me with joy to see the other people who have come along on this journey be here today.”

Bjorn Haycock, 25, has wanted to become a police officer since he was a teenager. Photo/PMN News

Police leadership shows up in force

The graduation ceremony was attended by Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, Police Minister Mark Mitchell, Associate Police Minister Casey Costello, and other members of the police leadership.

Chambers says many members of Wing 390 told him that they would not have been able to join the police without the Auckland-based training programme.

The graduation comes on the heels of a challenging period for the police, including a recent scandal involving former deputy commissioner Jevon McSkimming and a critical report from the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) into how senior management handled allegations levelled against him.

Listen to Alf Filipaina's full interview on the IPCA report below.

During Friday’s graduation, wing patron Sir John Key, a former Prime Minister, addressed these challenges while expressing confidence in the commissioner and the minister.

“I'd like to tell you that institutions never have problems,” Key says. “I'd like to tell you that we never have a person who makes a mistake or deliberately does something wrong or chooses the wrong outcome… but that's not reality.

“The challenge isn't that it's taken place, it's how we handle it now and how, going forward, we make sure it doesn't happen again, and that's all about honesty, transparency and leadership.”

Newly-graduated constables perform the Police haka in Auckland. Photo/PMN News/Khalia Strong

Looking ahead

The graduation also marks a positive step forward for the police, highlighting new leadership and the hope for increased representation in the force.

The Albany campus, which opened earlier this year, caters for both senior police training and new recruits. Wing 390’s 37 graduates have cleared the path for the next Auckland-based wing, set to begin in February 2026.

The new constables will be assigned to stations across Northland and Tāmaki Makaurau as they begin their frontline careers. Many in the Pacific community see this moment as the start of a new era for local recruitment.

Lolohea says he is nervous but excited for what is to come. “Pretty nervous but excited as well. Pretty proud to be here. Breaking all the barriers between me and this job… Proving to myself that I can do it, and anyone else that’s following the same dream can do it as well.”

The 37 new constables of Wing 390 are the first to graduate from the Auckland campus. Photo/PMN News