"This government's goal to strive towards recruiting an additional 1800 sworn officers right across the country. Keeping communities safe is my priority as Police Minister and Napier, in particular, needs security.
"I have met with the District Commander, Tania Kura, several times since she was appointed to the role. We have a shared vision for Police in the Eastern District which is more numbers and focus on Prevention First.
"This government is committed to increasing police resources right across the country, including the Eastern District. I am working closely with the Commissioner of Police and the Minister of Finance to ensure they get the resources they need to keep our communities safe."
A police spokesman said before this week, 24 staff had been deployed to the Eastern District, which covers Hawke's Bay and Gisborne.
"Eastern District Police remains resourced to respond to the needs of the local community and deliver a policing service to the public.
"The district continues to welcome new staff to serve the communities of Tairawhiti and Hawke's Bay, including the new graduate today from Wing 309."
Mr Nash last year came in for criticism for his criticism of then district commander Sandra Venable, and agreed reign in his criticisms, after Mr Nash said he lost confidence in her ability to police his electorate, claiming there had been a "hollowing out of policing" under her watch.
She is now the Police's Assistant Commissioner.
His handling of the ministerial portfolio has also been questioned by the opposition National Party, with their Police Spokesman Chris Bishop likening Mr Nash's handling of the portfolio as "amateur hour".
There have also been call for the Government to clarify for certain how much it would cost to the Government's target of recruiting 1800 extra officers.
Mr Nash had initially said he would help fill that quota through an overseas recruitment campaign – a plan he scrapped after his colleagues expressed concerns over how overseas officers would interact with Maori.
