Police Commissioners, Executive and District Commanders

The chief executive of Police is known as the Commissioner and is appointed by the Governor General. The Commissioner is accountable to the Minister of Police for the administration of police services, but acts independently in carrying out law enforcement decisions.

Nationally we have 12 districts, which are administered from Police National Headquarters in Wellington, and a number of national service centres that provide administrative and specialised support, such as forensic services.

See also: New Zealand Police management structure September 2011 [PDF, 18kb]

Police Executive

Districts


Commissioner of Police

Peter Marshall MNZM

Peter Marshall MNZM, Commissioner of Police The Commissioner of New Zealand Police is both Chief Constable, with responsibility for operational matters, and Chief Executive, responsible for assets and budgeting. The Commissioner is accountable to the Police Minister for the administration of Police services, but acts independently in law enforcement matters.

The present Commissioner is Peter Marshall, who began his three-year tenure in April 2011. He joined Police in 1972, holding a variety of uniform and CIB positions and commanding high-profile operations such as policing of the APEC Conference and Americas Cup in Auckland.

Overseas postings included Liaison Officer positions in Washington DC and Canberra. Before becoming Commissioner he was serving as Commissioner of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force.

He was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2000. He has also received a Royal Humane Society bravery award. Read his blog - 'As I See It

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Deputy Commissioner - Resource Management

Viv Rickard

Viv Rickard, Deputy Commissioner - Resource Management. Deputy Commissioner Resource Management manages all Police's major resource issues, acting as the bridge between frontline officers and the things that allow them to do their jobs, from equipment to employment contracts. As Deputy Commissioner he was appointed by the Governor-General.

Reporting to this position are the National Manager Training Service Centre; Chief Information Officer; and General Managers of Human Resources, Finance, and Strategy, Policy and Performance.

Viv Rickard was appointed in May 2010 after more than 26 years in Police. Previously he was Assistant Commissioner Operations and Assistant Commissioner Crime & Investigations. Other roles have included five years as district commander in Northland and two years as district commander in Waitematä.

He is of Te Arawa, Ngati Whare and Ngati Porou descent.

Deputy Commissioner - Operations

Mike Bush MNZM

Mike Bush, Deputy Commissioner - Operations.

Deputy Commissioner Operations has responsibility for national operational, road policing, investigative and intelligence functions; overseas deployments; Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police Secretariat; national security; and counter-terrorism. Five assistant commissioners and the Director of Intelligence report to this position.

Mike Bush was appointed in April 2011. As Counties-Manukau district commander he oversaw deployment of an additional 300 officers into New Zealand's busiest Police district and pioneered neighbourhood policing under the Policing Excellence change programme. He retains the Policing Excellence portfolio.

He joined Police in 1978. His operational and administrative positions included South East Asia liaison officer, based in Bangkok, when he was the first New Zealand official to reach devastated Phuket after the 2004 Asian tsunami. He was awarded the MNZM for his achievements in this operation.

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Assistant Commissioner Investigations/International

Malcolm Burgess MNZM

Assistant Commissioner Investigations and International is responsible for the National Criminal Investigations Group, the Organised and Financial Crime Agency New Zealand (OFCANZ), Financial Crime Group, International Services Group and Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police Secretariat.

The Investigations and International Group leads the prevention, investigation, disruption and prosecution of serious and transnational crime. It also leads liaison, overseas deployment and capacity building with international policing partners.

Assistant Commissioner Malcolm Burgess was appointed in June 2011 after two years as Director of OFCANZ, based at Police National Headquarters in Wellington.

He joined Police in 1976 and held uniform and CIB positions including area commander for Nelson and Hamilton cities and Detective Superintendent Southern, based in Christchurch. In 2005 he studied in Britain under the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Aotearoa Fellowship.

Assistant Commissioner Upper North

Allan Boreham

Assistant Commissioner Upper North has oversight of policing in the Northland, Waitematä, Auckland City, and Counties-Manukau police districts.

The district commanders from these four districts report to the Assistant Commissioner, who in turn reports to Deputy Commissioner Operations. The Auckland-based Detective Superintendent Upper North and the Commander AMCOS (Auckland Metro Crime and Operations Support) also report to Assistant Commissioner Upper North. 

Assistant Commissioner Allan Boreham was appointed to the role in May 2011, having previously been Assistant Commissioner Auckland.

He joined Police in 1985 and has held operational roles including district commander in Waikato, manager of the Northern Communications Centre, area commander in Eastern Waikato and Road Policing Manager in Wellington.

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Assistant Commissioner Lower North

Grant Nicholls

Assistant Commissioner Lower North has oversight of policing in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Eastern, Central and Wellington Police districts.

The district commanders report to the Assistant Commissioner, who in turn reports to Deputy Commissioner Operations.

Assistant Commissioner Grant Nicholls was appointed to the position in May 2011. He joined Police in 1985 and has held operational, policy and administrative posts, including district commander of Eastern district, based in Napier, and assistant commissioner positions covering Strategy, Policy and Performance and Specialist Operations.

Overseas experience includes deployment to Thailand as a contingent commander after the Asian tsunami; secondment to Strathclyde Police in Glasgow; time spent in Timor Leste, Australia, the US and Canada; and command training at the Police Staff College, Bramshill, near London.

Assistant Commissioner South

Dave Cliff

Assistant Commissioner South oversees policing in the Tasman, Canterbury and Southern districts. The district commanders report to the Assistant Commissioner, who in turn reports to Deputy Commissioner Operations.

The post also covers the two to three year-commitment required for the recovery efforts after the Christchurch earthquakes.

Dave Cliff was appointed in August 2011. He joined Police in 1983 and held positions including National Road Policing Manager and Acting Assistant Commissioner. He worked in Vietnam under an NZ Aid project, and in Buenos Aires, Argentina, advising on road safety issues.

He was appointed Canterbury district commander in 2007 and became familiar to national and international audiences as the face of policing after the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010 and 2011.

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Assistant Commissioner - Operations

Nick Perry MNZM

The Assistant Commissioner Operations is responsible for Community Policing, Youth, Communications Centres, Operations Group, Prosecutions and Road Policing.

Nick Perry was appointed in September 2011 after relieving as district commander in Counties Manukau. He joined Police in 1970, holding roles including senior Special Tactics Group and Armed Offenders Squad positions; Wellington City area commander; Detective Superintendent Central Region; Otago/Southland district commander; and National Manager Crime.

In 2004 he was appointed to lead an investigation into historic sexual offending and corruption allegations against past and serving Police officers. 

Overseas experience includes four years as liaison officer in London and three months with South Australia Police under an exchange programme. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2009.

Director of Intelligence

R. Mark Evans OBE

The Director of Intelligence is responsible for the National Intelligence Centre (NIC) which provides direction to operational policing through national tasking and co-ordination, strategic and tactical crime and road policing analysis and a focus on high-priority crime and security problems.

The NIC oversees professional development of all Police intelligence staff, supports area and district intelligence units and coordinates with domestic and international intelligence partners. It also hosts the multi-agency National Drug Intelligence Bureau.

Mark Evans was appointed in October 2008 and given an Executive role in June 2011, based at Police National Headquarters in Wellington.

After working in London and Canberra, Mark was most recently Director of Analytical Services for the Police Service of Northern Ireland, earning an OBE for services to policing. He is a frequent contributor to international intelligence teaching and training.

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General Manager Finance

John Bole

General Manager Finance has responsibility for the finance function (which entails the management of $1.4 billion operating expenditure and $100 million capital expenditure), the National Property Group, National Procurement Group, and National Record Keeping.

John Bole has an extensive career in senior finance roles, including being Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Corrections; CFO and GM Retail of Contact Energy; Group Manager Finance for the Airways Corporation; and Manger Financial Operations for Telecom New Zealand.

John joined New Zealand Police in June 2011 and is a Fellow of the Irish Institute of Chartered Accountants. He has an MBA from Henley Management College.

General Manager Human Resources

Brendan Keys

General Manager Human Resources is responsible for setting standards applied in HR nationwide and providing services in areas including general HR, employment relations, health and safety, remuneration, organisational development and culture, recruitment and provision of payroll and HR information. 

The role has aspects specific to Police, including provision of welfare support, professional standards oversight and processes associated with complaints against Police officers.

Brendan Keys joined Police in April 2011. His previous career included senior HR and business strategy roles in the finance and services sectors, including ING International, ANZ National Bank, KPMG and Wellington International Airport.

Before his Police appointment he spent 12 months consulting to the Defence Force transformation project, where he was involved in establishing a new HR structure and function and providing input on organisational change initiatives.

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General Manager Public Affairs

Michael Player

The General Manager of Public Affairs is NZ Police's principal adviser on communication matters both internally and externally. He manages a team of 18 communications professionals providing media relations, stakeholder relations, recruitment marketing, print and online publishing.

The GM has a functional relationship with communication managers in the 12 districts and works closely with district commanders and all members of the Police Executive.

The General Manager of Public Affairs is Michael Player, who joined Police in 1999. His career has specialised in public sector communications in organisations including the Ministry of Transport, Meat Industry Association and Department of Social Welfare, and as a Parliamentary Press Secretary.

He is Chair of Profession for the heads of communication of the core public sector. 

General Manager Strategy, Policy & Performance

Kevin Kelly

The General Manager: Strategy, Policy and Performance oversees the Strategy, Policy, Business Planning, Legal, Performance and Quality Improvement functions of NZ Police.

Kevin Kelly was appointed in April 2011 after ten months acting in the role. He had been National Manager: Policy and Legal Services for Police since September 2009, and before that National Manager: Legal Services.

He has wide experience of the public service, having held senior positions including a period as Acting Chief Executive, General Manager Policy and Manager Legal Services for Land Information New Zealand; and Manager Radio Spectrum and Broadcasting Policy with the Ministry of Economic Development.

As well as his law degree, Kevin has a Bachelor of Arts, and two Masters degrees - a Master of Public Policy and a Master of Public Administration (Exec).

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General Manager Maori, Ethnic and Pacific Services

Superintendent Wallace Haumaha QSM

The Mäori, Pacific and Ethnic Services (MPES) group was formed in 2003 to provide strategic advice and operational support to districts and Police National Headquarters.

MPES spearheads Police's Maori, Pacific & Ethnic strategy, winner of the award for "Excellence in Recognising Ethnic Diversity" from the Institute of Public Administration New Zealand in 2011.

Superintendent Wallace Haumaha was appointed GM in 2007, after serving as National Strategic Mäori Adviser. He reports direct to the Commissioner.

He was awarded the Queen's Service Medal in 1996. He helped establish the first Memorandum of Understanding between Police and 14 Bay of Plenty iwi groups and commanded the operation around New Zealand's largest protest march, the 2004 Foreshore and Seabed hïkoi, receiving Commissioner's Commendations for both. Wallace has Te Arawa and Tainui affiliations.

Chief Information Officer

Superintendent Steve Christian (acting)

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District Commanders