Gwen.

Hi,

Has anyone got any hints or tips about the online testing for NZ Police.
I've have been successful with the first hurdle and have been informed I will be sent a test via e-mail on the 6th Jan 08.

Is anyone else out there in the same boat?

What about expat cops serving in NZ...any regretts?

Madpaddy

Hi Gwen.

Great police force. I have done the testing over here so probably cant help you too much. I did use the BBC website for all those quick maths questions.

Take care

Gwen.

Hi Madpaddy,
Thanks for your reply. Just to let you know I passed the test, I did log onto the BBC website and found it really usefull. Just waiting on a date now for my interview/fitness date in London. Do you have any tips?

How long have you served in NZ, and where?

Cheers

Madpaddy

Been in about 2 years now. Testing is pretty easy, I done mine over here which is a 2.4k run in under 10min 15 for male and 11min 15 for female.

If your like me and would rather distance than time i suggest that you sprint your little arse off for the first min and then settle into a steady pace. That way you dont need to make up the time at the end.

They also make you do push ups which are the standard army way. Lie face down with your arms straight out beside you. Get someone to put their fingers at each of your elbows and then bend your elbows. Put your middle finger to their finger and start pushing...

Also there is a vertical jump which sounds easy but believe me do practice.

Im in Rotorua. Great city great cops... You want lifestyle 5 lakes and best mountain bike tracks in NZ.

Best of luck with the training

Gwen.

Sounds fab! Can't wait...the push ups are a worry but i'll let you know how I get on.

Thanks

Madpaddy

You'll be grand. if you can do five it wont be long before you can do 25. All the best.

Shane

Nik H

Hi! Can anyone tell me if NZ Police recruit Brits with no NZ residency or do you have to have lived in NZ?

Grimbonz

Gwen,

Have you got you're date through yet, I'm off to London on the 3rd April. Not looking forwad to the press ups, but I'm keeping up the practise and they are getting easier (just about).

Nik H,

There has just been a recruitment drive for UK police officers with 3 years experience. It appears they do this every 18-24 months. They get around the residency rule by using the talented worker section of the skilled migrant scheme. There doesn't appear to be any requirement to have lived or even have been to the country as part of this drive. The only other option would be to get residency by the normal process and then apply when over there. Thank god for this current drive, never would have managed it otherwise.

Madpaddy,

We're looking to come to the Bay of Plenty ourselves, how easy was it to get the area you wanted?

Nik H

Thanks very much. That's good to know. Visiting NZ next month so will make more enquiries!

dunx2442

Hi all,

Have just joined this website as a result of finding an old cop mate out in Canada...thought I'd see what was making news in NZ Police and found your messages.
For info I was in the first intake from UK to NZ back in 2003 and spent 3 years policing in South Auckland (Traffic/Highways) before moving onto the Commercial Vehicle Unit (Covering North Island)
I left NZ Police in 2006 for a better paid job in the private sector doing the same as I was doing in the police.
I returned to the UK in March last year and have just rejoined my old force (Hampshire)
If I can give/offer any advice to any of you then please don't hesitate to ask and I promise to give you the low down (warts and all).

Regards

Dunx

toonmoe

Hi Gwen,
FYI - I have just updated the NZ Testing Day thread about my interview.
If there's anything else you want to know, please ask.
D

nosesmatt658

Dunx,

I am in the same process and hopefully off to NZ later in the year. Can i ask... How did you find Policing in NZ? I am a Sgt here (as is my wife) and i am told we can transfer as equal rank once we have been through the conversion course. I am a little concerned that everyone says that the pay is poor in comparison to the UK. Is this the case? My wife is also concerned about part time working / childcare - do you have any info of either of these ? Finally ( i promise! ) did your pension work out ok ? I understand that we can transfer it out - but can you transfer back again if all goes wrong ?

Many thanks.....

Matt

dunx2442

Matt,
Hi, in answer to your question regarding how I liked policing in NZ?...I think it depends on your mindset and amount of service here in the UK. I had 15yrs service and found it very very frustrating seeing how they did things. They have some great laws (Boy Racer Act to name but one) but they also have very antiquated ways in dealing with suspects. The cops themselves are as keen as mustard but get dumped on from a very great height when it comes to overtime ... many just work for nothing a lot of the time! I don't know your background but mine was in traffic...I was horrified how undertrained traffic/highway patrol units were and how under equipped they were.
If your from a CID (CIB in NZ) then you can expect to find it just as hard at the coal face...very much understaffed with a very heavy workload if your posted to any of the metropolitan areas.

On the subject of pay...mmmm...poor by UK standards but good by NZ standards....I was on $66k and it was a struggle (Wife was working two jobs in the public sector - poor wage just so we could pay the mortgage) I know as a UK cop your never gonna be a millionaire, but don't expect a high standard of living in NZ on a cops wage if your not completely mortgage free with some UK money as backup for holidays abroad etc. Not sure if your wife is joining NZP too but mine didn't so that she could remain on a career break here in the UK (Custody SGT) She found it very very difficult to get a well paid job without having residency (Not sure if you guys get that straight away through the amended recruiting process) - As a footnote to the above please take into account that we kept our UK house (Just in case) and so had a $200k NZ mortgage which was costing us about $750 per fortnight. The NZ house doubled in price in the 3yrs that we owned it and so we came home with a very nice nest egg

In relation to working part time...again...mmmmm...I had a Senior Sgt who had a little girl of 4yrs who had speach problems and needed mum (Single) to spend more time with her. The job refused her application to do part time working and so she applied for a career break which they also refused....so she resigned...happy to say that daughter is now fine and mum has rejoined at the same rank...but it must have been pretty stressful for her!
Not sure how old your child/children are, but we lived on the coast just south of Howick, Auckland and found that kindergarden was fab...my daughter really had a great time and I was by then working for the private sector on a lot more money so it was easily affordable....but it is cheap by UK standards.

Pensions - I think I posted something earlier in this thread about pensions. Basically my advice would be that if you don't need your pension transferred straight away then leave it in the UK.
If you transfer it to the NZP Super Scheme then if you were to leave in 3yrs time you would get your lump sum back plus any contributions you have made plus the employers contributions.....in cash!. You can draw down cash from you NZP Pension Scheme at any time...which many Kiwi Cops do to enable them to have a better existance!
It will depend which force you are with here in the UK as to if they will allow you to transfer you UK pension...I know that guys from Manchester/London etc had no real problems moving theirs, but I on the other hand was refused by my pension provider Hampshire County Council who told me that they were not bound by law to release it and in any case would not do so until I was a New Zealand Resident. I left my pension here....I'm glad I did now.
If you were to transfer you pension to NZP then of course you could bring it back but you would have to go onto the new pension which I am currently looking at. I wasn't able to reactivate my old pension so have lost compensatory grant/rent allowance etc and I'm not sure that the new one is for me.

Good luck with your move I'm sure it will be fine. Its a great country with just as many problems as this one (On a smaller scale) and just go in with an open mind..be prepared to change your way of life a little and just enjoy being lucky enough to be in a postion to do the move in the first place. If you don't like it and you come back to the UK then you will still have achieved so much more than many ever have the chance to do.

Any further questions send me a message.
DUNX

nosesmatt658

DUNX,

Many thanks for the reply you posted. Great to hear experiences from someone who has done it first hand. I think that we are unlikely to now depart for NZ. At initial glance it looks like a great idea, but after you do the research (and i have done lots) the sums simply don't add up. Whilst the UK Police has MANY problems. We get a good pension, retire young and manage to juggle child care. Departing for NZ would potentialy be detrimental to all of these and it is not something i am prepared to risk. Finally the lateral transfer of rank for rank is so vague and so, after 10 years service and lots of studying, i am not prepared to go back to square 1 and have my experience TIC'd at a later date!!

Many thanks again,

Matt

dunx2442

Matt,
You sound like you've done your research really well and I just hope that you don't regret no making the plunge at a later date. All that being said, when I went in the first group in 2003 I didn't have any children in tow just an understanding wife and a faithful black lab! so I didn't have to consider schooling/childcare etc.
It takes a trip of that magnitude to make you realise that the UK has a lot to offer, cheap travel/child allowance/no vat on childrens clothes/food.
We managed to come back to the UK with a fresh outlook, a daughter, kiwi passports and £70k in our back pocket (this was purely down to the rise in Aucklands property market in 3yrs and not high earnings!) The property market is currently maxed out and I doubt if someone in your shoes would come away with such a nestegg.
In a nutshell it worked out for us but it did cost me a good pension (Fortunately the wifes one is still very much intact)
With the money your on here you will be easily able to afford to visit NZ whenever the fancy takes you...if your in NZ the options of visiting the UK are severely limited due to the costs.
The option to move to NZ as a cop will come again and again so the doors not completely closed if you change your mind later.

Cheers
Dunx