National Police Remembrance Day is observed on 29 September each year, when New Zealand joins other nations in honouring Police staff who have died in service. Across the country, services are held to remember those who never came home, and to recognise the families and colleagues who carry their loss.
The Trust will publish each year's commemoration details here as they are confirmed.
Huia e! Huia tangata kotahi. He tōtara kua hinga.
The feather of the huia, for someone special. One dearly departed.
The Police chevron-embedded huia feather pin was designed by the New Zealand Police Association and promoted in partnership with NZ Police as the symbol of Police remembrance in New Zealand. Police staff and members of the Police family throughout New Zealand take part in Police Remembrance Day by wearing the pin to honour the memory of those Police officers slain while carrying out their duties.
The tail plumage of the now lost huia bird is something rare and special. Considered tapu, or sacred, by Māori, it is an immense honour to wear a huia tail feather as ornamentation. In the design, the incorporation of the NZ Police chevron into the huia tail feather, with the nick at the top signifying loss, symbolises the great honour and loss of someone special to Police.
Funds raised from the sale of the pins go to the Police Families Charitable Trust for the families of New Zealand Police officers who have been slain while carrying out their duties. Pins are available in the lead up to Police Remembrance Day each year, and online at the Cop Shop.
The Police Memorial Trust of New Zealand has been formally established as a registered charitable trust. Early planning for a permanent national memorial in Wellington is now underway, in partnership with New Zealand Police, the New Zealand Police Association and the Police Leaders' Guild.
