Canterbury Police is undergoing a district restructure proposal process which could affect rural communities. Photo / File
A rural North Island mayor is offering advice to two Canterbury districts facing the loss of their locally based police force.
“Public meetings don’t really work,” says Manawatū District Mayor Helen Worboys.
A public meeting is scheduled for this evening in Culverden, North Canterbury, as the rural community works together to fight a proposed restructure by police.
It has been reported that the Aoraki police district, which stretches from Methven to Twizel and includes Timaru and Ashburton, is also in line for restructure.
Arthur’s Pass sole-person station has not been occupied for around two years, and if the proposal remains unchanged, that will not reopen, according to Canterbury Police District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill.
“We know our communities want us to tackle retail crime, gangs, and road safety,” Hill says.
“This proposal is about making sure we have a structure in place that enhances our ability to deliver those core policing services.
“Essentially, the aim is to have more frontline staff visible and available to our communities.
“That means we’re not reducing our numbers but rather looking to change the way they’re deployed.”
Hill says speculation and rumour about the proposed changes is understandable but not helpful.
He says it’s “really important to note that we’re not planning to close any stations or front counters”.
“We are managing requests for our services from that community under our current model,” Hill says.
“We believe we can serve many of our communities better by expanding our 24/7 coverage.
“Our people are part of these communities too and we all want the same thing – to be safe and feel safe.
“That’s why the consultation process is so important, and I want our communities to know I’m open to any and all feedback.”
But Mayor Worboys says, in her experiences, public meetings have not been helpful.
“You get one or two that are loud and they take over and it’s really hard to control,” says Worboys.
“So the key thing is just don’t give up.”
One week into a two-week consultation, the communities of North Canterbury and Selwyn are determined to keep their local police presence – rather than lose them to a centralised model that would see support come from larger areas like Rangiora and Rolleston.
“The proposed realignment of police services promises an overall increase in personnel for rural areas, including a stronger frontline presence in Amberley and a 24/7 response model supported by Rangiora-based officers. In Culverden, the focus is shifting toward road policing to address identified risks,” says Kaikōura MP Stuart Smith in a social media post.
The promise of “an overall increase in personnel” is language that Worboys is familiar with.
“It is the same message and it just doesn’t happen. There are too many delays. The city takes priority. They just need to rethink this whole centralised model. It doesn’t actually work,” says Worboys.
The “city” in Worboys’ instance is Palmerston North, 20 minutes from Feilding.
“Feilding used to have 14 police based here. We had two youth aid officers. When things changed, they said, ‘Oh, but your stats there show that crime is declining so, therefore, we’ll take the resources away. And I’m going, ‘well, why do you think the crime is declining?’,” says Worboys.
Response times are a key complaint under the proposed restructure – and it’s mentioned in Smith’s Facebook post.
“North Canterbury is unique. Our communities are spread across vast rural landscapes, where response times and visible policing are not just conveniences—they are lifelines. Residents deserve assurance that any changes will enhance, not diminish, their safety and confidence in law enforcement,” says Smith.
Worboys warns the district’s residents not to hold their breath.
“We had a bit of a run there for a while where some of our key businesses were getting hit night after night. One business had the cars on [security camera] footage and everything. The owner of that business lived 20 minutes away and every time the alarm went off, he got to his business before the police did. If they turned up at all,” says Worboys.
“They will always tell us that there are 2 police rostered on in the i-cars [incident patrol], but Lord knows where they are in the middle of the night.
Canterbury’s battle to keep its country cops isn’t without hope – even as NZ Police and Smith utter the three words that so often precede a significant restructure, reminding media and the public that “it’s a proposal”.
Worboys can point to a recent occasion where a proposal wasn’t adopted, due to informed opposition.
“The Kimbolton cop who lives 40 minutes out of town did the whole of the northern rural area for our district. Everybody knew him. He knew who the ratbags were. But when he retired, they said, ‘Oh, no, we’re going to replace them, but they’ll work out of the Feilding police station.
“And we lobbied really hard and we got that changed. We now have the new guy back up in Kimbolton because they are the eyes and ears for that community and the local people trust them,” says Worboys.
The connection with their community is what the Manawatū District Mayor believes is the key argument to keeping a local police presence. Worboys believes statistics can be manipulated.
“There’s a whole lot of really hard-to-measure benefits about having them actually located in your rural communities.
“The absolute key thing is it’s not about stats. You need to think about the non-financial benefits of having police in rural communities. It is significant. It’s part of what makes communities good,” says Worboys.
Wednesday night’s community meeting was being supported by North Canterbury Federated Farmers president, Bex Green.
“Farming families rely on local police stations to feel safe and supported. Closing them down sends a cold message that rural communities don’t matter,” said Green.
“We’re pretty upset with the proposal. Especially in Culverden with the closure of the two policemen here,” Green told the Herald.
Worboys says she feels for those having to make difficult decisions.
“I feel sorry for the police because they’ve got limited resources and they’re trying to make decisions the best that they can.
“But my plea is that if you actually work with communities, you will find that communities will support police, and it will make life easier for police because the communities know what’s going on. They know who the ratbags are,” says Worboys.
Mike Thorpe is a senior journalist for the Herald, based in Christchurch. He has been a broadcast journalist across television and radio for 20 years and joined the Herald in August 2024.