Police in the Far North want would-be cops languishing on South Island waiting lists to join their ranks, pitching a job in Kaikohe or Kaitāia as a way to ensure you don’t end up a “one trick pony”.
The Canterbury district has been so popular that police are no longer accepting new applications, and there are “long wait times” and “very limited” vacancies in Dunedin, Nelson Bays and the coastal Otago area, according to the police recruitment website.
Mid and Far North area prevention manager, Senior Sergeant Clem Armstrong, told the Herald he’s trying to entice applicants in districts that are oversubscribed to come north.
“There are people in the South Island who want to join police but are on waiting lists because they’re not accepting staff there at the moment,” he said.
Armstrong, who grew up in Kaikohe, described his region as an “amazing place to work” where staff can swiftly join specialist investigative or armed response teams.
“For staff if they come to the area, there are opportunities to promote [them] because of these vacancies within the criminal investigation branch, within the Armed Offenders Squad (AOS),” he said.
Armstrong has enjoyed a varied career working in organised crime, in the adult sexual assault and child protection teams and he was a member of Northland’s AOS among other roles.
He said he’s had some success luring officers north but wanted “20 plus” extra staff.
He acknowledged there were serious issues with crime in the mid and Far North but said such challenges present a more stimulating and diverse day job.
“You do a vast array of different types of jobs. You’re not a one-trick pony.”
Northland has the highest rate of meth use in the country and is over-represented when it comes to homicides and sexual assault cases.
“We take first place in a lot of areas we don’t really want to take first place in,” Armstrong said.
Despite working in a region that holds some unenviable titles, Armstrong is adamant the challenges mean “awesome opportunities” for officers wanting to make a real difference.
Last year the Herald revealed police from around the country were being flown to Northland to help local staff amid a surge in violent crime.
The secondment programme, called Operation Tai Pari, was initiated in part because of a record spate of killings which had led to staff being diverted from jobs; with the earlier move causing a backlog of cases.
Official information obtained by the Herald shows flying in cops to help was expensive and ultimately unsustainable.
The operation ran from May to November and in the first four months, $570,647 was spent on airfares, accommodation and staff allowances – an investment Armstrong says was “definitely worthwhile” while acknowledging it was only a temporary solution.
“It provided us the means to get on top of some of that backlog. It provided us the means to give some of our staff that have been doing it tough a break,” he said.
Armstrong said some staff who visited as part of Tai Pari ended up applying for fulltime jobs in the region after the experience.
“They loved the variety [of work]. They loved the lifestyle.”
Clem Armstrong doesn’t accept the perception by outsiders that Kaikohe is a crime hellhole.
He said businesses, community groups and local kaumatua are focused on addressing issues like violence and pervasive meth use in the region.
“There are a lot of good people doing great things for this community,” he said.
One of those helping is Armstrong’s brother – funeral director and mixed martial arts champion Dhcamad Armstrong or “D” as he’s known around town.
D uses Kaikohe’s Mill Gym to train the willing and give hope to both young and old regardless of their background.
The 39-year-old’s mantra is one of strict positivity, which means no swearing, gang signs or bad music while at the gym.
“When they’re in here with me, it’s nothing but goodness.”
That goodness is juxtaposed against the violent nature of Armstrong’s chosen sport, but in his mind, it’s about teaching a “controlled, positive” violence which is ultimately used to build people up.
He spent seven years fighting professionally in Japan before returning to his hometown where his passion for mixed martial arts is used as a “vehicle” to help people.
D said sometimes the process will involve “breaking” people – including ex-inmates – who think they’re tough.
“I’ve had many different colourful people here. Some have come and stayed for years and those that have committed to what we do, their lives improved for the better,” he said.
He said training was transformational for several clients, including a gang member who’d spent “many” years locked up in jail.
“Before he got out of prison, he didn’t have anything to compare his previous life to. When he came here, he realised life can actually be different and it can be positive,” he said.
Like his brother, D loves Kaikohe and doesn’t pay much attention to those who are quick to downplay the town as a blight on the nation.
“Usually, those negative comments come from people that aren’t from this town, and they don’t know anything about our town. I don’t want to call them outsiders, but onlookers,” he said.
Michael Morrah is a senior investigative reporter/team leader at the Herald. He won News Journalist of the Year at the 2025 Voyager Media Awards and has twice been named reporter of the year at the NZ Television Awards. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the Herald’s video team in July 2024.