Tarawera High School's new police course unrelated to Onepu police shooting

Rotorua Boys' and Girls' High School students in the NCEA police course field trip to the Police College in Porirua last year. Photo / Supplied

The addition of a police studies course at Tarawera High School in Kawerau is unrelated to the death of a man during a police shootout last week.

Tarawera High School is adding the NCEA-accredited Introduction to Police Studies course to its curriculum from tomorrow.

It comes less than a week after Astin Cruz Hooper, 29, was shot and killed by police.

Last Thursday, Hooper robbed the First Credit Union in Kawerau before leading police and Armed Offenders Squad officers on a a slow pursuit around rural roads in Te Teko, Otakiri and Onepu.

Hooper brought his truck to a standstill on State Highway 30 at Onepu and fired a shot at AOS officers moving toward his truck. Officers returned fire and Hooper was shot dead.

A police spokeswoman told the Rotorua Daily Post Tarawera High School's police studies course starting was unrelated to the shooting and had been arranged before the incident.

In collaboration with New Zealand Police and Unitec, students can gain 29 NCEA credits from the Introduction to Police Studies course for Year 12 and 13 students.

It aims to prepare the students to apply for entry to the Royal New Zealand Police College (RNZPC) on completion.

Acting Senior Sergeant Shane Tailby, area response manager for Whakatāne police, said policing was a fantastic career.

"Students who completed this course would be on a pathway to becoming an officer on leaving school."

Rotorua Girls' and Boys' High School's were the first in the country to trial the course, and Boys' High deputy principal Hamish Lockwood said it was a beneficial course regardless of the student's future plans.