Commissioner of Police (New Zealand)

The Commissioner of Police is the head of the New Zealand Police and is currently held by Andrew Coster. The Commissioner is appointed for a term not exceeding five years by the Governor-General, and reports to the Minister of Police.[1] The position combines two functions, that of chief constable in charge of policing and cases, and chief executive responsible for assets and budgeting.[2] In military terms, the rank is equivalent to Lieutenant General.[3]

History

The Police Force Act 1886 split the police from the earlier body known as the New Zealand Armed Constabulary, which had performed both civil policing functions as well as being the standing army and militia, on 1 September 1886. Sir George Whitmore was appointed as the first commissioner, reporting to the Minister of Defence.[4] Early commissioners came from the United Kingdom with military or law enforcement experience, such as Walter Dinnie, who had served as Inspector at Scotland Yard.

In 2006, the commissioner was the highest paid person on the public payroll in New Zealand, earning $440,000.[5]

In 2017, Mike Bush was reappointed to a second term that will run until 2020.[6] In early March 2020, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern appointed Andrew Coster as the new Commissioner of Police, taking effect in April 2020.[7]

List of commissioners
# Name Term of Office Notes
Start End
1 Sir George Stoddart Whitmore 1 September 1886 31 December 1886 [4][8]
2 Major Walter E. Gudgeon 5 January 1887 June 1890 [8][9][10][11][12]
3 Lt. Col. Arthur Hume 1 July 1890 1897 [11][12][13][14]
4 John Bennett Tunbridge 21 October 1897 1903 [12][15]
5 Walter Dinnie June 1903 22 December 1909 [16][17][18]
6 Frank Waldegrave (acting, undersecretary of Justice) December 1909 1912 [16]
7 John Cullen 19 April 1912 23 November 1916 [16][19]
8 John O'Donovan December 1916 1921 [16]
9 Arthur Wright 1 January 1922 31 January 1926 [20]
10 William Bernard McIlveney (first New Zealand born) 1 February 1926 30 June 1930 [21][22]
11 Ward George Wohlmann 1 August 1930 30 June 1936 [22]
12 Denis Joseph Cummings 1 July 1936 31 October 1944 [23]
13 James Cummings 1 November 1944 15 April 1950 [23]
14 Bruce Young (died in office) 4 April 1950 28 December 1952 [24][25]
15 Eric Compton 11 March 1953 18 April 1955 [25]
16 Samuel Barnett (Controller General) 16 May 1955 1958 [26]
17 Willis Spencer Brown 1 December 1958 1961 [27]
18 Leslie Spencer 1961 May 1967 [28]
19 Colin Urquhart May 1967 >= 1969 [28]
20 Sir Angus Sharp <= 1970 1974
21 Ken Burnside October 1974 mid 1978 [29]
22 Bob Walton mid 1978 1983 [30][31][32]
23 Ken Thompson <= 1984 >= 1986
24 Malcolm Churches 1987 1989 [33]
25 John Jamieson 1989 ? 1993 [34]
26 Richard Macdonald 1994 1996
27 Peter Doone 1 July 1996 25 January 2000 [35][36]
28 Rob Robinson 2000 18 December 2005 [37]
29 Steve Long (acting) December 2005 4 April 2006 [37]
30 Howard Broad 4 April 2006 3 April 2011 [37][38]
31 Peter Marshall 4 April 2011 2 April 2014 [39]
32 Mike Bush 3 April 2014 2 April 2020 [40]
33 Andrew Coster 3 April 2020 incumbent [41]

Notes
  1. "Policing Act 2008 No 72". New Zealand Legislation. Parliamentary Counsel Office. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  2. "Govt appoints new Police Commissioner". The New Zealand Herald. 30 November 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  3. "Insignia of rank". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
  4. (Hill 1995, p. 7)
  5. Thomson, Ainsley (5 April 2006). "Policeman on mission to restore confidence". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
  6. "Commissioner of Police". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  7. Wade, Amelia (9 March 2020). "New Police Commissioner Andrew Coster announced by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  8. (Hill 1995, p. 8)
  9. "Volume XXI, Issue 6113". Wanganui Herald. 6 January 1887. pp. Page 3. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
  10. "Volume XXXIII, Issue 6849". North Otago Times. 21 September 1889. pp. Page 2. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
  11. "Volume XXXIV, Issue 703". North Otago Times. 24 June 1890. pp. Page 2. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
  12. McLintock, A. H. (ed.) (1966). "Police - Development of the Service". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 5 October 2008.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  13. Crawford, J. A. B. "Hume, Arthur 1838-1841? - 1918". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
  14. (Hill 1995, p. 14)
  15. "Volume 21, Issue 2277". Otago Witness. 21 October 1897. pp. Page 30. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
  16. Derby, Mark (2007). "Czar Cullen: Police Commissioner John Cullen and Coercive State Action in Early 20th Century NZ". Victoria University of Wellington. hdl:10063/351.
  17. "Volume XXXVII, Issue 10887". Wanganui Herald. 2 March 1903. pp. Page 6. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
  18. (Hill 1995, p. 256)
  19. "New Commissioner of Police". Grey River Argus. 20 April 1912. pp. Page 5. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
  20. Young, Sherwood. "Wright, Arthur Hobbins 1861 - 1938". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
  21. Dunstall, Graeme. "McIlveney, William Bernard 1867 - 1956". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
  22. Dunstall, Graeme. "Wohlmann, Ward George 1872 - 1956". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
  23. Dunstall, Graeme. "Cummings, Denis Joseph 1878 - 1956; Cummings, James 1885 - 1976". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
  24. Dunstall, Graeme. "Young, John Bruce 1888 - 1952". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
  25. Dunstall, Graeme. "Compton, Eric Henry 1902 - 1982". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
  26. (McGill 1992, p. 100)
  27. (McGill 1992, p. 109)
  28. (McGill 1992, p. 121)
  29. (McGill 1992, p. 136)
  30. "Death of former Police Commissioner Bob Walton". New Zealand Police. 17 July 2008. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
  31. "Former police commissioner passes away". 3 News. 18 July 2008. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
  32. "Former police commissioner dies". Otago Daily Times. 17 July 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
  33. "Police Remembrance Day". New Zealand Police. 26 September 2003. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
  34. (McGill 1992, p. 183)
  35. "New Commissioner of Police announced". New Zealand Executive Government. 28 May 1996. Archived from the original on 29 May 2004. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  36. "Ex-police commissioner may sue PM". The New Zealand Herald. 27 April 2005. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
  37. "Police commissioner named". TVNZ. 4 April 2006. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
  38. "New Police Commissioner appointed". New Zealand Government. 4 April 2006. Retrieved 4 October 2008.
  39. "New Police Commissioner starts work". Stuff.co.nz. 4 April 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  40. "Statement from Deputy Commissioner Operations, Mike Bush". New Zealand Police. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  41. "Police congratulate new Commissioner of Police". www.police.govt.nz. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.

References
  • Hill, Richard Synyer (1995). The Iron Hand in the Velvet Glove. Dunmore Press. ISBN 0-86469-244-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • McGill, David (1992). No Right to Strike. Wellington, NZ: Silver Owl Press. ISBN 0-9597979-2-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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