Kiwis on alert as Aussies use stronger dollar to go hiring
As the RBA points to the tight jobs market in Australia being a force that might prevent rate cuts, employers are looking further afield to fill vacancies - and annoying our neighbours in the process.
The Northern Territory Police Force has stepped up its recruitment efforts in New Zealand, intensifying competition for talent and adding new pressure to HR leaders already grappling with shortages across frontline public services. A series of targeted campaigns, described by New Zealand Police as increasingly assertive, has drawn hundreds of officers across the Tasman in what is shaping up to be a sustained outflow of experienced staff.
Northern Territory Police teams have been holding interviews in multiple New Zealand centres this month, promoting six-figure packages and housing support. New Zealand Police say more than 670 vetting requests have come from Australian jurisdictions in the past two years, during which at least 212 officers resigned to take up roles in Australia. Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told 1News: “Those Australian campaigns in our country have become more aggressive.”
Chambers said he has raised the issue directly with Australian counterparts. “I said, ‘look, can you explain this? Why do you come to New Zealand to recruit my colleagues?’ And his response to that was, ‘because you produce great police officers’. Well, I can’t argue with that. And I said, ‘well, I just wish you’d put a little more effort into growing your own maybe over there’.”
The offers being made by Northern Territory Police far exceed standard New Zealand remuneration for frontline roles. Acting Superintendent Serge Bouma said the team had “been ramping up our recruitment, probably post Covid significantly,” noting that they had now visited New Zealand “a number of cases” and that this was “probably the fourth time in the last two or so years.”
Bouma said the Northern Territory had “employed 87 experienced police officers, not just from New Zealand” since early 2023, adding that “somewhere between 50 and 60” were from New Zealand. He said the recruitment events were transparent: “We hold info sessions at various locations, not just in New Zealand, but in the interstate locations as well, where we lay everything out on the table. It’s a warts and all sort of discussion.”
A major drawcard is housing support. Bouma said that “one of the big, big ticket items that we offer to every single sworn police officer is housing, housing support.” Officers who choose not to take a department-leased home “will supplement your income at I think currently, it’s just shy of $32,000 a year over and above your normal income as a tax allowance.”
On pay, Bouma said: “A new constable would be on about $140,000 Australian.” He added that allowances, penalties and overtime were also available. Bouma insisted salary alone should not determine decisions. “If your motivation is purely the money, then find something else where you can have lots of money. Maybe put money on the stock market.”
However, Chambers acknowledged the strength of the financial incentives. “The money that they can earn in Australia is more than here in New Zealand. I accept that. That’s often the lure for many.”
Sixteen former officers have contacted New Zealand Police recently about returning. Chambers said: “Many of them do want to come home.” He also defended the capability of local policing. “New Zealand police is amongst the finest police forces in the world, if not the best.”
Queensland campaigns accelerate the outflow
The Northern Territory is not alone. Queensland Police Service’s 2023 recruitment campaign offering relocation bonuses and six-figure starting salaries has seen more than 300 New Zealand officers apply in the last year. Starting packages included a salary of about $110,000 and housing allowances.
Constable Dion Nelson-Screen, once a New Zealand Police recruitment figurehead, told 1News: “It’s home forever. I love it here,” and said, “I don’t see myself going back anytime soon.”
Queensland’s mid-career retraining pathway has been processing officers in large volumes, with at least 69 New Zealanders expected to graduate from the PACE programme by late 2024. A further 138 applicants are in the recruitment pipeline, and Queensland says interest from New Zealand is at record levels.
Officers moving to Queensland through PACE can earn up to $130,000 annually as a first-year constable, and Sergeant Lisa Duncan said recruits were compensated for experience: “When they come over [whether] they’ve got three years experience versus 10 years experience, they will be remunerated for that.”
Northern Territory draws more recruits as conditions diverge
Northern Territory Police have also seen strong uptake. Nearly 40 New Zealand officers have moved there following recent recruitment drives. RNZ reported that officers can receive up to A$125,000 pre-tax and A$1,000 for every overtime shift. First-year constables earn A$111,000 compared to NZ$83,000 in New Zealand, and housing allowances of more than A$31,000 a year remain a key incentive.
Bouma told Morning Report: “I think money is a main motivator, but I’m at pains to say in our info sessions if people are just coming to us for money then their motivations are not right.” He said many sought “a new adventure” and wanted “to look after their family and do something different.”
Assistant Commissioner Tusha Penny said the gap was too wide for New Zealand to match. “The reality is we can’t compete if they are after money alone,” she said. She added that 98 per cent of those who recently left her district did so for financial reasons.
Penny said the force might begin a national campaign to reconnect with those who have left, but noted they could not offer similar benefits to Australia. “We can’t compete with the finance, but what we can do in talking to our officers who are interested in coming home — it’s that, it’s home.”
Australia’s own shortages are driving the campaigns. New Zealand’s Police Minister Mark Mitchell said, “The Australians have got big problems with their recruiting, that’s why they’ve come here.” New Zealand is around 500 officers short, while Australia’s shortage is more than four times that.
As Chambers noted, police were preparing to recruit and graduate nearly 800 constables by Christmas. Whether this is enough to stabilise the workforce remains unclear. With Queensland, the Northern Territory and New South Wales actively targeting New Zealand officers, the competition for talent shows no sign of easing.
