“I heard her stories about people in need and I thought, ‘I want to be like her one day’, so here I am, hoping to make a positive difference to people’s lives.” “I saw the uniform and immediately thought she was a superhero. “I’ve been very interested in joining Police ever since a community constable came to my primary school when I was eight years old,” says Tayla.

“I’m doing this for my kids, my community and my country,” says Nina.Ĭonstable Tayla Price, who is also posted to the Bay of Plenty District was inspired to join Police by a ‘super hero’ in a blue uniform. In 2017 she did just that and began her recruitment application that has seen her graduate after three years of hard work towards this new role. “I dreamed of returning home to the whenua to pursue a Police career,” says Nina. Moving to Australia and having a family put that ambition on hold for a while, although Nina met other goals, such as representing Australia in the first Women’s Rugby League World Cup. Nina’s iwi is Ngati Porou and she says her interest in joining Police started when she was younger, seeing police officers helping people through difficult situations. “The recruits gained a lot of value from their postings during the level 4 and 3 restrictions, being able to put into practice some of what they had been learning.” “That was an example of careful and dedicated work on the frontline,” says Senior Sergeant Rebecca Lockwood, Initial Training Programme Manager at the RNZPC. Their 16-week course became 18 weeks, interrupted by COVID-19 alert level 4 and 3 restrictions that saw them deployed to their home districts and working in a variety of Police roles while managing online learning.Ĭonstable Nina Barton returned to the Bay of Plenty District, where she is now posted, and has been praised for her policing skills there.Īfter a crash on a state highway and during a careful examination of the wider scene, Nina located a loaded pump-action shotgun and cannabis hidden in long grass, and so prevented them from being picked up later by one of the people involved in the crash. Five new cops who have recently graduated are being deployed into the Bay of Plenty region.įifty-seven new cops completed their training at the Royal New Zealand Police College - RNZPC on Thursday June 4, navigating an unusual pathway to their graduation.

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