"The future, financially, was just too bleak for me to just sit there at my desk, doing what I was doing, for the long term."
The former constable has now signed up for a Bachelor of Commerce at Auckland University, and hopes to eventually work in the finance industry.
He said the stressful work of policing needed the support of living in the same city as his family and friends.
"You go through a lot of things doing that job, you see things, you have to deal with a lot of things.
"It's certainly better to be able to vent, and de-stress by talking about it.
"I've got literally all my family here, my friends here. Why should I have to move because I'm not earning enough to keep my head above water here?
"I loved the job, but I had to do something while I'm still young enough to pack it all up and start fresh."
The former constable said plenty of his former colleagues were weighing up the same decision.
"There's a lot of talk. Some of my former colleagues left Auckland, purely for this reason, they can't afford it.
"Others want to, but there's more holding them here, kids and partners.
He wrote to Police News, the Police Association magazine, to warn other officers of the decision he'd faced.
"I don't plan, or want, to end up in a clifftop mansion somewhere; I just want to some day own my own home and support my family, without having to live pay cheque to pay cheque," he wrote.
"Renting is hard enough on our salary and the ability to buy a first home on your own, in an area close enough to call a reasonable distance from work, is impossible.
"Take a look at the number of staff taking up roles in rural towns or other cities. The majority are from Auckland.
"That's not by chance; that's being forced out of the city we love, where we have our friends and family."
Industrial advocate Greg Fleming responded in Police News. He said there was "widespread awareness of the squeeze being put on association members in Auckland."
"There are no easy solutions, and we have been meeting with other public sector unions to explore broader actions and solutions, as their members face the same challenges."
Police Association president Chris Cahill told the Herald more work was needed to determine whether this issue was an emerging trend.
"If there is any indication that attrition rates may be beginning to show police officers in the two-to-eight year service bracket are leaving for the same reasons as [this officer], then that would be cause for concern.
"It could indicate that young officers with perhaps young families, trying to buy first homes, cannot manage in environments such as Auckland."
Police deputy chief executive of people Kaye Ryan said transfers were available for staff who wanted to work in other districts.
"We are aware anecdotally that some of our staff have transferred to jobs in other policing districts outside Auckland and have cited the ability to purchase family houses as a reason for the move.
"We are currently undertaking a piece of work to more fully understand this changing employment environment."
But police aren't the only workers feeling the pinch.
Earlier this week, Advanced Security Group announced it was paying an extra $2 an hour to its staff in Auckland.
Chief executive Michael Marr said the extra allowance was a "way to recognise the pain".
In March, Government documents revealed teachers were quitting Auckland because of difficulty meeting living costs on a teaching wage.
At the time, some principals said a solution to keep staff could include consideration of subsidised housing.
The full letter
"I don't want to publicly identify myself, but I feel it's important to share my story.
"I recently finished my career with Police after almost six years. It wasn't through lack of enjoyment in the job, it was the pay.
"I get the sense that people outside Auckland believe everyone here is making a fortune from capital gains in the property market, and is sitting on million-dollar-plus land.
"The reality is that we're not. There are a few who have been fortunate enough to have been around long enough to reap the rewards of the Auckland housing market, but the numbers are insignificant compared with the majority of Auckland-based cops, especially the new breed coming through.
"Rather than continuing to work with the police, I made the bold decision to seek work in the private/commercial sector. I don't plan, or want, to end up in a clifftop mansion somewhere; I just want to some day own my own home and support my family without having to live pay cheque to pay cheque.
"Renting is hard enough on our salary and the ability to buy a first home on your own, in an area close enough to call a reasonable distance from work, is impossible.
"Times have changed, but our salary hasn't - a 1-2 per cent increase annually isn't exactly keeping up with inflation. Police is asking a lot of staff to hang around in Auckland. Take a look at the number of staff taking up roles in rural towns or other cities - the majority are from Auckland. That's not by chance; that's being forced out of the city we love, where we have our friends and family.
"It's been by far the hardest decision I've ever had to make, but I have to do what's right for me and my future family."
