Nick Cain, Fulton Hogan Foreman and his 4 year-old son Ryder
5 Aug 2015 2:30pm News:
Waitematā

Police urge drivers to slow down around roadworks on Albany Highway

Police are urging the public to slow down around roadworks, following numerous reports of high-risk driving on the Albany Highway. Auckland Transport are carrying out roadworks, which are scheduled to... More

2 min read
5 Aug 2015 1:09pm News:
Bay of Plenty

Investigation into Te Puke death

At approximately 8.45am on Wednesday, 5 August police were executing a search warrant at a property in Te Puke. A firearm was seen inside the property resulting in the sole male occupant at the... More

1 min read
5 Aug 2015 1:06pm News:
Southern

Witnesses sought from North Dunedin assault

Dunedin Police are wanting to speak to anyone who may have witness an incident on Saturday, 1 August, at about 3.30am in the Dundas Street and Harbour Terrace area where a female was assaulted. Police... More

2 min read

Suspicious Looking: 19th century mug shots from the New Zealand Police Museum

Mug shots are photographic portraits of arrested suspects and convicted criminals. 

Since the mid-19th century, they have been used to help form a record of identification for police. However, they are far from being mundane bits of police paperwork. Rather, mug shots are intriguing images which have a powerful ability to captivate our imaginations. Perhaps this is because of the interesting questions they evoke: What crime did this person commit? Were they guilty? Do they look like a criminal? Do they look normal? What happened to them?

Using the New Zealand Police Museum’s collection of mug shots from 1886-1908, this exhibition will start to answer some of these questions, and explore the stories behind these compelling photographs. From the people in the images, to the history of mug shots, to the role of criminal identification in New Zealand Police, these mug shots can provide a window to many fascinating stories of the past.

Michael Andrew Lawson
5 Aug 2015 11:51am News:
National News

Police want to locate Michael Andrew Lawson

Police are looking for 28-year-old Michael Andrew Lawson. Police have concerns for him due to his medical condition. He was last seen in Hanmer Springs wearing a white T-shirt (as seen in the attached... More

1 min read

Learning

The New Zealand Police Museum provides educational opportunities for all visitors, including free self-guided visits and activity sheets, or charged workshops and tours.

Montage of Museum activities

Families

Our New Zealand Police Museum Junior Detective Trail and Senior Detective Mysteries are packed full of fun activities that will keep children of all ages engaged and entertained. Activity sheets are free, fun and change every school holiday.

Enjoy our museum favourites and try out police uniforms and the Police motorbike; they make a great photo opportunities!

Schools & Groups

Group tours are available on request and can be adapted to suit individual needs and ages. Group booking charges:

  • adults $5
  • children $5
  • senior citizens $3
  • student on school trip $3

The New Zealand Police Museum covers a wide range of topics and issues including;

  • the Rainbow Warrior bombing,
  • 1981 Springbok Tour Protests,
  • Disaster Victim Identification team work,
  • The Canterbury Quakes,
  • The Role of Police,
  • The Armed Offenders Squad,
  • Road Policing,
  • The Dog Section,
  • Diversity within New Zealand Police,
  • 75 Years of Women in Police and
  • Policing Aotearoa New Zealand in the 19th Century.

Check out the Police Museum learning and experience programme (PDF, 1.3MB) to find out more about what is on offer. Advance bookings are required.

Bookings

T (04) 238 3141
E Make an enquiry

Important Information

Museum displays reflect the nature of police work and some displays deal with issues of violence and death. All class visits are adjusted to be age appropriate. For this reason mixed aged groups are not recommended.

Pre-visit information (PDF, 361KB)
Risk Assessment Management (RAMS) (PDF, 223KB)
Social story (PDF, 12.4MB)

Exhibitions

Telling the real life stories of policing in Aotearoa, the New Zealand Police Museum uses original evidence, police objects and technology to tell the very personal stories behind the events, disasters and crimes that have galvanised our nation. 

Displays include stories of policing excellence, weapons used by criminals, evidence from murder investigations, stories of outstanding feats of detection and forensic science, police tools and artefacts, and major historical and social events like the 1981 Springbok Tour and the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior. The Museum strives to provide a positive forum for interaction with New Zealand Police and their vision of 'Safer Communities Together'.

Online Exhibitions

Unable to visit the Museum? Experience our online exhibitions. Discover the history of 19th Century mug shots and explore a selection of extraordinary museum collection objects.

Research – New Zealand Police Museum

The New Zealand Police Museum specialises in police related objects and ephemera. 

Research enquiries regarding the Museum collection, Police personnel, and history should be submitted through the Official Information Act (OIA) request form. In the ‘What information do you require’ field, write MUSEUM first, then your enquiry.

Research fees may apply, for details please refer to Museum Enquiries at the bottom of this page.

Police Records and Personal Files

Archives New Zealand is the official repository for government archives. For access to Police records (including access to personal files for genealogical research) contact or visit Archives New Zealand.

Search Archives New Zealand online using Archway.
Access to Police records is restricted until 100 years from date of closure, or 70 years from date of closure for Police Gazettes.

Criminal Records

To find out about access to criminal records visit the Ministry of Justice website.

General Police History

Most districts of New Zealand have a book outlining the history of policing in their local area. To view a list of books about policing in New Zealand visit the Police history page.

Most of these titles will be available through your local library. Alternatively contact the Police Museum to purchase any of the books on the list via the Museum shop.

Mug Shots

As part of the online exhibition 'Suspicious Looking: 19th Century Mug Shots from the New Zealand Police Museum' we have made a number of previously unaccessible mug shots available online. The images provided online may be used for educational or non-commercial purposes. The Museum is not able to provide higher quality reproductions of the photographs, nor any additional information on the individuals in the mug shots. To learn more about the people in the images and the crimes they committed, you can try searching old newspapers online using the National Library of New Zealand's digitised archive 'Papers Past'.

Museum enquiries

T (04) 238 3141
E museum@police.govt.nz

New Zealand Police Museum charging schedule for research enquiries: Charging schedule (PDF, 271KB)