Register for New Zealand Police Vetting

These roles involve providing for the care and safety of a child, young person, or vulnerable person in a more than incidental manner. Compliance with the Education and Training Act 2020 is considered to fall within this criterion.

Child or young person means a person under the age of 18 years.

Vulnerable Person

A person who may be unable, by reason of age, sickness, mental impairment, or any other cause, to care for themselves, whether permanently or temporarily, or due to specific circumstances or crises. Vulnerability may also arise from situations where an individual is subject to the authority, influence, or control of another.

Incidental

Incidental contact can refer to situations where brief or unplanned interactions with children or vulnerable people may occur due to the nature or location of an individual’s duties. These interactions are not intentional, regular, or substantial, and do not include direct responsibility for their care or supervision.

Examples of roles that may/may not meet the criteria for a Police vet

This includes individuals involved in the direct transfer of knowledge, skills, or learning to children or young persons. Compliance with the Education and Training Act 2020 is also considered relevant to this criterion.

Children and young persons means a person who is under the age of 18 years.

Examples of roles that may/may not meet the criteria for a Police vet

Law enforcement refers to the detection, investigation, prosecution, or punishment of offences.

This relates to individuals with warranted authority – that is, legal powers granted by the government through a formal warrant or regulation – giving them coercive powers over individuals for breaches of laws or regulations.

Examples of roles that may/may not meet the criteria for a Police vet

Refers to the various government agencies that make up New Zealand’s national security community who collaborate to ensure the country’s safety, stability, and resilience. It can include individuals who are employed in frontline or support roles where national security concerns are relevant.

Examples include: NZDF recruits and personnel, and Aviation Security card holders.

Important: A Police vet is not a National Security Clearance. For information about obtaining a National Security Clearance, refer to the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS).

Police vetting may assist NZ Immigration and the Department of Internal Affairs in assessing the suitability of an individual to be granted, or permitted to sponsor, a New Zealand visa or be granted New Zealand citizenship.

An agency may be required by law to obtain a Police vet in respect of an individual (section 54E(1)(a)). Such legal requirements can include the:

• Children’s Act 2014

  
  This relates to children’s workers as defined in the Children’s Act; individuals employed by a specified organisation and providing a regulated service, who have regular or overnight contact with children without the child’s parent/guardian present, in a more than incidental manner. Please refer to Section 23 of the Children’s Act 2014 for more on this. The status of a children’s worker may be assessed by the Police Vetting Service.

• Education and Training Act 2020

  
  Police vets must be completed for anyone who is employed at a school, or contracted by a school with unsupervised access to children, during normal school hours. Refer to Schedule 4 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

Offshore agencies who wish to access the Police Vetting Service must:

• meet the criteria described above in respect of New Zealand agencies, and
• have similar legislation to New Zealand which protects individuals' rights to privacy.

For more information, refer to Information for Offshore Agencies.

Agencies wishing to access the Police Vetting Service should follow the steps outlined below:

Step 1: Register with RealMe

If you do not have a personal RealMe account you will be required to create one. Police use the New Zealand Government RealMe to authenticate users wishing to access the vetting system through an approved agency.

You must create your own individual RealMe account. A RealMe account must not be shared with other people, even those within your organisation.

If you need more information, or experience problems accessing the RealMe system please visit the Help page on the RealMe website.

Step 2: Apply to become an approved agency

Once you have a personal RealMe account you can apply to become an approved agency with the Police Vetting Service. You must electronically sign the Approved Agency Agreement or Offshore Approved Agency Arrangement (for agencies based overseas) - required for all approved agencies.

You will receive a response from our team within 5-10 working days regarding the outcome of your request. If approved, each registered user will be sent a Police ID and Activation Code within 5 working days of approval. During this step you may request access for additional users.

Step 3: Access the Police vetting website

Once your agency is approved and your Police ID and Activation Codes have been received, each user will be able to login using their personal RealMe account and submit vetting requests via the vetting website home page. Entering your RealMe details will direct you to the vetting portal.

Upon first login, you will be required to enter your unique Police ID and Activation Code – this step is only required the first time you login. Your Police ID and Activation Code will expire after 5 working days. Please email us at queryme@police.govt.nz if your code has expired and we will generate a new code for you.

Please refer to the Secure Vetting Website User Guide (PDF 3.4MB) for more information about the above steps and how to navigate the online vetting portal.

For a full overview of the vetting process, please see the flowchart and information on The Vetting Process page.