Police Minister Stuart Nash is now rejecting his earlier idea of actively recruiting police from overseas, following concerns from Cabinet colleague Nanaia Mahuta about whether foreign police would interact well with Maori.
Nash denies he is backing down, having yesterday floated the idea as part of a drive to hire 1800 new police officers in the next three years - a commitment made in the coalition agreement between Labour and New Zealand First.
"I'll talk to the Minister of Immigration and say, 'Look, if we do a recruitment programme overseas, and we get sworn officers coming in from a number of countries, can we look to fast-track visas for these men and women?'" he told Radio NZ's Morning Report yesterday.
The comments were not welcomed by the Police Association, which said that overseas recruitment was a "short-term" solution.
Maori community leaders also raised concerns about how overseas officers would interact with Maori, prompting Maori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta to seek assurances from Nash.