The 90 recruits of Wing 386, alongside their patron Dame Noeline Taurua, were welcomed to the Royal New Zealand Police College (RNZPC) last week.
"The constabulary recruiting team has worked incredibly hard to deliver 90 recruits onto Wing 386 and we are really happy to have increased our wing capacity sooner than initially planned," 500 Programme Director, Superintendent Kelly Ryan says.
"Other groups within Police providing specialist services to some of our recruiting processes such as Emergency Communication Centre, Vetting and Safer People have provided additional support to make this possible."
Last year Police announced it would increase the potential capacity of recruit wings at the RNZPC from 80 to 100 from April 2025. The change was in response to a major surge in applications and will help ensure quality applicants move through the pipeline and into training faster.
Since the announcement, changes have been made to the RNZPC to facilitate the larger wings.
"Enabling even 10 more recruits to join a wing is a significant jump and required a lot of planning and additional support for training. We look forward to welcoming even more recruits in our wings of up to 100 in the months ahead," Superintendent Ryan says.
"The median time between application and starting at RNZPC has already reduced by more than 90 days over the last year.
"We're focused on making sure our process is fit-for-purpose, so applicants flow through each step quickly and our standards continue to be robust."
The increased capacity at the RNZPC, and a training facility to come in Auckland soon, will support Police's work to deliver on the Government's commitment of 500 additional officers.
"Achieving this growth in recruits requires a huge effort from across the entire organisation for attracting, selecting, and training the new officers," Superintendent Ryan says.
"Research is very clear, the most effective way to recruit police officers is through our own staff identifying, encouraging, and supporting people they know would be great to apply.
"It's critical that everyone leans in on this, so we get the very best people into our organisation."
Districts have also demonstrated strong support by putting in place at least one full time constabulary member to actively engage and take ownership of their district's recruiting.
"Whether you're taking your first steps into the workforce or considering a career change, the best time to apply is right now.
"The earlier you apply, the sooner you'll be ready to start your training into a one of the most rewarding careers there is," Superintendent Ryan says.
