Police assisted with a different kind of operation at Waitangi over the long weekend, helping distribute donated food to the local marae.
Countdown contributed thousands of dollars worth of food and other household items that were consumable but unable to be stocked on shelves due to damaged packaging.
Police officers who had come up from Auckland to assist with Waitangi Day operations were then roped in to help move boxes of groceries from the supermarket to Waitangi Marae.
Mere Davies, fresh foods manager at Countdown Waitangi, said the store regularly receives goods from its distribution centre with broken packaging that they give away, usually to foodbanks and churches.
On this occasion, the store manager approached police and asked them if they would like the two pallets of goods to distribute to people in the community.