Police Force Numbers
Amy Ferguson made this Official Information request to New Zealand Police
The request was partially successful.
From: Amy Ferguson
Dear New Zealand Police,
Under the Official Information Act, I am requesting the following information:
The current number of police officers in New Zealand, broken down by:
Te Ika-a-Māui (North Island)
Te Waipounamu (South Island)
Historical data on police force numbers over the past five years, including any changes in staffing levels, broken down by Te Ika-a-Māui (North Island) and Te Waipounamu (South Island).
I confirm that I reside in New Zealand.
Thank you for your assistance.
Amy Ferguson
From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police
EXTERNAL Official Information request Police Force Numbers.txt
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EXTERNAL Official Information request Specific Information Requested.txt
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Tēnā koe
I acknowledge receipt of your Official Information Act 1982 requests
attached, received by Police on 31 May 2024.
These have been combined into one OIA record.
Your reference number is IR-01-24-19102.
You can expect a response to your request on or before 2 July 2024 unless
an extension is needed.
Ngā mihi
Lisa
Ministerial Services
Police National Headquarters
===============================================================
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The information contained in this email message is intended for the
addressee only and may contain privileged information. It may also be
subject to the provisions of section 50 of the Policing Act 2008, which
creates an offence to have unlawful possession of Police property. If you
are not the intended recipient of this message or have received this
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From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police
Tēnā koe Amy
Please find attached the response to your Official Information Act
request, received by New Zealand Police on 31/05/2024.
Kind regards,
Ministerial Services
Police National Headquarters
===============================================================
WARNING
The information contained in this email message is intended for the
addressee only and may contain privileged information. It may also be
subject to the provisions of section 50 of the Policing Act 2008, which
creates an offence to have unlawful possession of Police property. If you
are not the intended recipient of this message or have received this
message in error, you must not peruse, use, distribute or copy this
message or any of its contents. Also note, the views expressed in this
message may not necessarily reflect those of the New Zealand Police. If
you have received this message in error, please email or telephone the
sender immediately
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Amy Ferguson left an annotation ()
Kia ora — and thank you to those following this request.
The information released by Police provides only limited national figures and does not address the full scope of what was requested — notably the regional and time-series breakdowns and the ethnic or cultural self-identification data of officers. Without these, it’s impossible for the public to clearly understand workforce distribution, representativeness, or equity within the organisation.
I made every effort to ensure these requests were narrow, clear, and compliant with the Official Information Act — even refining and consolidating them at Police’s own suggestion to avoid refusal under section 18(f). Despite that cooperation, the responses were minimal and did not substantively meet the intent of the refined requests.
Furthermore, all related requests were combined under a single reference number, which had the practical effect of reducing transparency and delaying meaningful disclosure. While I do not suggest deliberate obstruction, the outcome demonstrates a pattern of procedural compliance paired with substantive non-disclosure — a tendency outlined in my supporting document “Evidence of Strategic Evasion in NZ Police OIA Responses.”
As someone who works with data and pattern recognition, I view these outcomes less as isolated oversights and more as indicative of a systemic gap in information governance. This is why continued public interest, journalistic review, and Ombudsman oversight remain essential.
My intent here is constructive: to uphold the principles of the OIA — transparency, accountability, and informed public dialogue — not to undermine confidence in the institution itself.
Ngā mihi nui,
Amy Ferguson
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