As the successor to the outgoing Andrew Coster, McSkimming and Chambers are different prospects to one another.
Currently ranked as a deputy commissioner, McSkimming graduated from Police College in 1996 and spent the first 10 years of his career in frontline roles in Auckland, Southland and the West Coast.
He shifted to the Wellington district for several years in leadership positions, before moving to Police National Headquarters (PNHQ) in 2010 and rising through the ranks there.
In 2023, McSkimming was promoted to deputy commissioner on the recommendation of Chris Hipkins, who was Prime Minister at the time, following a Public Service Commission selection process.
“Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming brings a relatively unique career path within New Zealand Police,” according to a report presented by Hipkins to Cabinet.
“He has been a police officer for 27 years but, since 2010, McSkimming has used his operational skills across the organisation to shape strategy, service delivery and resolutions, financial planning, arms administration, ICT and infrastructure.”
Rated for his strategic thinking among PNHQ staff, McSkimming is expected to present an impressive case about his track record of backroom achievements (boring but important when running an organisation with 15,000 employees and a $2.7 billion budget) and vision for the future of police.
Chambers, on the other hand, has taken a more traditional career path than his rival.
After qualifying as a detective, Chambers later moved to Wellington and was appointed as the area commander for Lower Hutt in 2007.
Stints as the district commander for Tasman and Auckland followed before Chambers moved back to Wellington as an assistant commissioner in 2016.
He held several portfolios in that time including oversight of serious and organised crime investigations, as well as the police districts in the upper half of the North Island.
After being overlooked for promotion internally, Chambers went on secondment earlier this year and accepted a senior role at Interpol, based in France, as the director of the organised and emerging crime division.
Where McSkimming is perhaps more highly regarded in Wellington, Chambers is a familiar face in police districts around the country and widely seen as having far more operational experience.
There is no doubt who would be the favourite pick among frontline staff to be New Zealand’s next top cop.
And while it’s not a popularity contest, the person with the most sway in the outcome – Police Minister Mark Mitchell – is acutely conscious of the need to boost morale in the ranks after a tough few years.
The final decision will be made by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in consultation with Mitchell, and the successful candidate will then be officially appointed by the Governor-General.
Putting aside the rigorous selection process, National will pick the candidate the coalition government believes can best implement its policies: starting with the rollout of the anti-gang measures in November.
There are a few clues in the job description posted by the Public Service Commission online.
As would be expected, the Police Commissioner must show a number of attributes: balancing budgets, supporting an inclusive culture, building relationships across government departments and community groups, a commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi, and dealing with the media.
Of note, however, is that a large section of the application form is dedicated to “significant operational experience at the most senior level within a policing environment” and “strong analytical and problem-solving skills… addressing and resolving complex and operational and strategic issues”.
While noting the statutory independence between the Government and the police, the job description also mentions the Police Commissioner is required to “give effect to all priorities” of the Police Minister.
These priorities will be spelled out in a “letter of expectations”, sent periodically. The most recent of these letters was handed by Mitchell to the current Police Commissioner Andrew Coster nearly 12 months ago.
Organised crime and gangs, youth crime, recruitment, cutting costs, potential law changes, and staff safety were all important to the coalition government, wrote Mitchell.
He ended the letter by stating New Zealand faced “significant challenges” in regard to law and order.
“Our New Zealand Police staff are working in a far more complex, demanding and dangerous environment that requires focused, strong and supportive leadership,” Mitchell wrote.
“My expectation is that leadership is evident.”
Whether that leadership is provided by McSkimming or Chambers will be announced at the end of November, around the time when the new gang laws come into force.
With Coster starting his new job as the head of the Social Investment Agency in less than two weeks, Deputy Commissioner Tania Kura (who didn’t apply to replace him) will step in on an interim basis following his departure.
Jared Savage is an award-winning journalist who covers crime and justice issues, with a particular interest in organised crime. He joined the Herald in 2006, and is the author of Gangland and Gangster’s Paradise.
