IR-01-26-14080
18 June 2026
John
[FYI request #34523 email]
Dear John,
Request for information
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request of 21 April 2026. You
asked for information regarding the Pōneke Promise initiative operating in Courtenay
Place.
The Courtenay Place initiative was led solely by Wel ington Free Ambulance (WFA), with
all processes and outcomes recorded by WFA. Police supported the initiative as part of
routine operations and did not deploy additional resources. Police responded to incidents
and requests for assistance from partner agencies but were not required to undertake
specific record-keeping.
Given that context I can only respond from the Police perspective, and my response to
each part of your request can be found below.
Funding
a. Which organisation(s) fund this initiative?
Police did not contribute funding to this initiative.
Team Structure
a. What is the standard staffing model for the teams involved?
b. How many teams are typically deployed at any one time?
Police involvement in the initiative was part of routine policing deployments.
Operational Activity
a. What is the approximate number of Police-related incidents attended by
these teams (e.g. per weekend or annual y)?
b. Of these incidents, how many require escalation or additional Police
resources?
Nature of Demand
a. What are the most common types of incidents attended?
b. What proportion are alcohol or drug-related?
Operational Impact
a. Has the initiative reduced demand on frontline Police units (e.g. PST)?
b. Has it improved response times or al owed redeployment to higher-priority
incidents?
Safety
a. What risks have been identified for staff operating within this model?
b. Have there been any reported assaults or safety incidents involving staff?
Specific records as a result of this initiative have not been captured, and any incidents are
captured within general police statistics. Extracting, collating, analysing, and reviewing
this material would require considerable time and resources. Accordingly, this part of
your request is refused under section 18(f) of the OIA, as the information requested
cannot be made available without substantial collation or research.
Evaluation
a. Has New Zealand Police formal y evaluated the effectiveness of this
initiative?
b. What measures are used to determine its success?
Police has not undertaken any evaluation of the initiative. This part of your request is
refused under section 18(e) of the OIA, as the information does not exist.
Please note that as part of its commitment to openness and transparency, Police
proactively releases some information and documents that may be of interest to the
public. An anonymised version of this response may be publicly released on the New
Zealand Police website.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this
decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Superintendent Penny Gifford
District Commander – Wellington
New Zealand Police
