Foreign Minister Winston Peters heads overseas on a political tour, an earthquake in Greece and hundreds of NZ Post workers fight for their jobs.
Video / NZ Herald
WARNING: THIS ARTICLE DISCUSSES SUICIDE
Frontline police are warning the force could soon reach a tipping point as officers move to Australia for higher-paying jobs, thousands of dollars in sign-on fees, accommodation and relocation costs. Jaime Lyth reports.
After rejecting the Government’s pay offer in September 2023, New Zealand police were presented with the same offer on March 9. Amid a cost-of-living crisis and demanding conditions, they called it “insulting”, “disgusting” and “demoralising”.
Another offer came on Thursday, which Police Association president Chris Cahill told staff in email that he did not believe it would be possible to negotiate for more so if it was rejected, it would go to arbitration.
Police officers say some of their colleagues have resorted to using food banks to get by. Illustration / Andrew Louis.
Of the 200 police officers who resigned in 2023, 50 are already part of the Australian police force. Another 70 are understood to be waiting to leave New Zealand.
“And we can set ourselves up for our future because the money is exceptionally better.”
Chaenelle’s partner makes just under $100,000 - that’s more money training as a police officer in Australia than he got as a fully trained one in New Zealand.
“After he leaves training he gets a 28 per cent increase in his pay. It’s significant, especially with paid overtime.”
The family are staying in a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home for free as part of their incentive to move over.
She was a detective constable in Porirua alongside her partner, who had been with the police for 17 years as a detective sergeant.
“He was upset with the abysmal offer.
“We felt things were going backwards with police and also just in New Zealand in general.”
Chaenelle said she was “heartbroken” about working conditions for her colleagues in New Zealand.
Police feel let down by the Government's recent pay offer. Illustration / Andrew Louis.
“We thought things were going to change and we were going to have a bit more support there from the Government, especially with [Police Minister] Mark Mitchell being quite vocal about being a [former] police officer.
“[On] Monday I attended a double fatality vehicle crash, where it took three hours to remove the bodies from their mangled metal casing.”
He said the mentally taxing shift included three and a half hours of overtime.
“It’s not something you can share with your family.
“We don’t have time to even sit down with counselling teams when we might feel like we need to,” he told the Herald.
He included stories from his colleagues in his letter, writing of missing wedding anniversary dinners because of being stuck at work doing unpaid overtime.
Queensland Police launched a campaign in 2023 to attract more New Zealand officers, offering a better lifestyle and pay.
One colleague told him he had lied to his daughter and said he couldn’t take her to swimming practice because he was unwell; in reality, he could not afford the petrol to get there.
“He’s trying to be a single parent and raises his two kids while living on this police wage, which is not doable. He’s actually moving to Australia.”
To stop New Zealand police from crossing the Ditch, frontline officers needed a pay rise and to be paid overtime, and an improvement in their resources, he said.
“We want to stay here, we really do love this country and we love doing the police work here.
“Police officers with so many years of experience and rapport are leaving because they have no choice.”
‘A desperate situation’
Another police officer who didn’t want to be named said front-line officers were underpaid and undervalued in New Zealand.
“Why do you think so many cops have jumped ship and gone to Aussie? Because they get extra pay.”
Many police had voted for a change in Government to improve working conditions, he said.
“Everyone’s feeling the pressure ... you’ve got constables who are having to go to food banks. That’s obviously a desperate situation but that’s what it’s coming to.”
The officer and his partner - who also works in the public sector - regularly struggle to make ends meet.
“We live fortnight to fortnight because we can’t put money aside, because one of the salaries covers the mortgage, the other one covers all the bills and food and then we’ve literally got nothing left.”
He said many police were impacted by the public sector pay freeze introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We fail to meet [public] demand because we are under-resourced because staff are undervalued, taking a lot of sick leave, taking a lot of time off because we’re overworked.”
