Women in Uniform – What we wore

This collection of wooden pocket batons were issued at Auckland and indicate the variety of designs used. The oldest is at far left and dates from the 1890s. The short variant in the centre was issued to women police from the 1960s, its length being determined by the requirement for carriage in the police issue handbag. Ken Brewer collection.

Policewomen were not particularly happy with their uniform. The pockets were inadequate to carry all the equipment such as handcuffs and notebook. The official response was to provide them with a shoulder bag. Some felt the skirts were too long and hampered them when chasing a suspect. The desire for shorter skirts probably had more to do with the undoubted fashion statement of the 1960s ... the miniskirt ... many shortened their skirts well above the approved uniform length.

Policewomen are permitted to wear boots with the fashionable shorter skirt length. (This fashion did not last long and does not appear to have been widely taken up.) This is known from a press photograph.

Alexander Turnbull Library Evening Post Collection 10/4

NZ Legal: Police: Uniform 2955/ 17 June1972

1972 Policewomen

In an unusual move and responding to a demand from the younger members, this uniform consisting of a short skirt and boots was introduced in 1972 and followed the fashion trend of the times. Not so popular with the more mature members, it was a fashion statement that did not last long before the boots were dispensed with and the skirt lengthened once more. Photograph NZ Police Museum

Men’s and women’s new uniform 1976. From left Chief Superintendent B. W. Gibson; Constable L. Tideswell (women's uniform); Sergeant J. A. Franklin modelling male constable's uniform; Sergeant C. I. Beattie modelling superintendent's uniform. The files relating to this uniform change do not appear to have survived. However, Michael Burnside, son of K. B. Burnside, the commissioner who initiated the change, remembers his father deliberately choosing to move away from the old dark blue to lighten up the image of the police and stress their civilian role. This uniform was introduced very quickly rather than being phased in as had always been usual. The Bulletin, March 1976

Points to note, apart from the change in colour to vitric blue, are: addition of lower flapped, unbuttoned pockets to commissioned officer's tunic and addition of gorget patches to chief

superintendent; removal of belts from all tunics; women's skirt simple A-line instead of box pleats; new women's felt hat (white version provided for summer); short zip-fronted jacket for male constables; buttoned fabric epaulettes replace traditional twisted or braided cord ones; register number now affixed to epaulettes; a new woven 'NZ Police' coat of arms crest at top of sleeve.

Alexander Turnbull Library Pictures, Evening Post Collection: 10/4 N. Z Legal: Police (Police Uniform) 4957 20 November 1975

From February 1976 further changes were progressively introduced. Uniforms in a vitric blue material, were lighter and cooler than the existing blue serge. A new style shoulder patch appeared on the uniforms bearing NZ’s coat of arms and the word “POLICE”. Police women and commissioned officers who haad previously worn white shirts were given the new mazarine blue cotton polyester shirts issued now to all ranks. Minor alterations to the polocewomen’s uniform continued to the made throughout the decade, including the introcution of a new cap for summer wear.

New and old uniforms of the New Zealand Police: Policewomen (from left) Marion Fergus (Lower Hutt) Joanna Jennings (Auckland), and Yvonne Nicholas (Wellington). Marion and Joanna model the new uniforms for women, while Yvonne models the old style.' Photographer unidentified

Evening Post Collection EP/1977/3831/10A. 29 September 1977 ATL 27255

In 1977 the debate raged about whether or not police women should be allowed to wear trousers ... The result was that Commissioner Burnside had some trouser suits made up to be worn on a trial basis in the main centres. Eventually, trousers became an optional item of uniform.

Policewomen’s Cap

The impracticality of the wide brimmed Policewomen’s hat soon became evident and resulted in the introduction of this British influenced design in 1957. Worn on the left by Timaru’s first policewoman, Constable Gwen Taylor.

Photo courtesy of G. Taylor ‘s published in the book A Century of Service by David Thomson Hendrik Kagel.

Shown in both profiles on the right at the time of first issue by two Wellington Constables, courtesy of the NZ Police Bulletin magazine.

'Police Constable Vickie Gaudie wearing the new policewomen's uniform with trousers, talks with five-year old Emily Jenns from Wadestown, in Lambton Quay, Wellington. Photographer unidentified.

Evening Post Collection EP/1979/0047/8A.  5 January 1979.

ATL 27256