Deputy Commissioner: Leadership & Capability

Tania Kura (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Te Kanawa) joined Police in 1987 and, in 2020, became the first female police officer to be appointed to the position of Deputy Commissioner.

Tania was recruited from Invercargill, where she was born and raised with a whakapapa linking her to Tainui. Her first Police posting was to Christchurch.

She has since worked in Central and Bay of Plenty Districts, The Royal New Zealand Police College and Eastern District in a variety of uniform, investigative and leadership areas including youth, intelligence, O/C station and operational field training.

She spent five years as Hawke’s Bay Area Commander before being promoted in 2017 to the role of Eastern District Commander, in which she had responsibility for 500 people and demonstrated her ability to lead significant cultural change.

Throughout her career, Tania has relentlessly focused on the development of her people and building a strong, positive culture. She is highly regarded by the community and her staff.

She sets a high standard and her drive and determination to help shape a great culture within the Police organisation are clear for all to see.