Police are calling in new recruitment campaign

New Zealand Police are asking: Are you calm under pressure, good at negotiating, or have exceptional attention to detail?

Or maybe you can keep a cool head while the heat is turned up, or you’re a great leader in your community?

“You never know how your life experiences, abilities, and know-how may be compatible with policing,” police say.

That’s the theme behind the latest NZ Police recruitment campaign ad dubbed Calling Card.

NZ Police Commissioner Richard Chambers says: “The new campaign is our biggest for the year, and targets people whose skills, strengths and experience make them a good fit for Police.

“This campaign will showcase just what an attractive and varied career police can offer, and I urge those who have the skills we need to sign up.

“To serve our communities we need new staff from all backgrounds and with different skills and characteristics.

“Policing is an exciting and dynamic career suited to many types of New Zealanders and obviously the best people to tell you this is the staff who are doing it daily,” says Chambers.

The new campaign features detectives meeting a student, both of whom are problem solvers and critical thinkers.

It features a front-line officer liaising with a community worker – both roles requiring empathy and patience.

The ad shows police dog teams, Armed Offenders’ Squad teams, and the Air Support Unit.

A police negotiator spots a parent who can also stay calm under pressure.

“We also show a hiker in the bush with a love for the outdoors alongside a Police Search and Rescue (SAR) team,” NZ Police say.

“We have been building momentum for the past year. You may have seen our hard-to-miss buses and a train wrapped in Police livery, or our upcycled retired Police car turned into a cinema to view our Ride Along series.

“Now that we have people’s attention, it’s the perfect time to launch a recruitment campaign and get people seriously thinking about a career in Police.”

The filming was completed over the space of 10 days and took place in a few police districts, notably Northland and Southland.

A Northland search and rescue scene features a husband and wife, both working police officers – Josh and Tracey of Whangarei.

Tracey was inspired to join the force after following her husband’s career.

“I’m lucky to be policing in one of the most beautiful parts of our country,” she says.

“I graduated in 2023, so I’m still on rotation throughout various work groups to enhance my skillset. No day is the same. I’m loving the challenge.”

A police negotiator scene was filmed near Lumsden in Southland and featured Constable Alistair, who works in a tactical crime unit.

“I have enjoyed 18 years of policing and 10 of those years being part of the police negotiating team, and it’s nothing short of fascinating, with many challenges thrown in for good measure.”

Acting Police Assistant Commissioner Deployment, Zane Hooper, says: “There’s a common misconception about what type of person Police want to recruit as officers, and it’s not always what you think.

“We hope this campaign will show people that we want to recruit New Zealanders with a variety of personality traits – they may not realise just how valuable their abilities and knowledge could be to policing.

“These skills are empathy, leadership, composure, fitness, teamwork and problem solving,” says Hooper.

“There are more than 30 different career paths as an officer in police, and we invest time in training our staff, so they have the qualities to face any situation.”

The ad, which has gone live on YouTube, features more than 50 police staff, including constabulary and employees, alongside their family members and friends.

“We’ve even had the help of some of our retired staff who together have over 150 years of combined service,” says Hooper.

“Getting current and former staff involved in the filming was relatively easy because they’re passionate about showing New Zealanders why this is such a great job.”

The ad showcases the areas where police need people the most, such as Northland and in the country’s biggest city, Auckland.

Calling Card has been made with advertising agency Eighty One Media, and the video was directed by New Zealander Vince McMillan.