"Absolutely lifted the standards": Associate Police Minister pleased with surge in graduating officers

This year is set to be one of the highest graduating years in the history of the New Zealand Police, despite wings often not being at capacity. 

Around 730 recruits are expected to graduate from police college in 2026, almost 50% more than the average over the past two decades. 

Police say the incoming pipeline remains healthy with more than a thousand people in different stages of the application process. 

Associate Police Minister Casey Costello told Ryan Bridge it hasn't come at the cost of standards, which have actually been lifted. 

She says a change in the way they promoted the career has led to more people applying. 

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