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Diversity liaison officers

Diversity Liaison Officers (DLOs) are located throughout New Zealand to provide liaison between Police and those in our community who identify as LGBTQIA+, Takatāpui or MVPFAFF+* (rainbow communities) and their whānau.

They are Police officers and employees who work in a variety of roles who also hold a portfolio as a DLO.

What we can do

  • Help answer your queries, provide advice, or explain processes.
  • Link you in with appropriate Police personnel or support groups.
  • Offer presence and support when engaging with Police.
  • Respond to invitations to attend Pride events or similar activities.

What we can't do

  • We cannot interfere in an investigation or the court process (but we may be able to support you).
  • Replace formal advocates or independent legal advice.

Please note: This page is provided for general information purposes only. It is intended as a helpful resource and does not imply endorsement of any opinions, views, or content expressed within the linked or referenced materials.

Contact a DLO

If you feel threatened and are in immediate danger, dial 111. To report a crime that has already happened, contact 105 Police Non-Emergency.

If you need help to answer your queries, provide advice, explain processes, or to connect with the DLO network, other appropriate Police personnel, or support groups, please email DLOs@police.govt.nz.

We will get back to you as soon as possible during work hours.

Trust and Confidence

What are we doing to improve the Rainbow Communities’ Trust & Confidence in NZ Police?

  • Raising Rainbow awareness for Police staff
  • Improving services to Rainbow people
  • Connecting with Rainbow communities
  • Creating a safer organisation for our Rainbow staff

If you would like to know more about how we are doing this, please email us on DLOs@police.govt.nz.

If you would like to know more about WHY we are doing this, see: Our Business.

Praise and Complaints

Please contact us if you have a praise or complaint you would like to share with us.

Give feedback about Police

We are always looking for continuous improvement opportunities.

Community Support

Wherever we can we work in partnership with government and rainbow community agencies, most of whom also offer advocacy and support services.

You can connect with some of them:

  • Adhikaar Aotearoa
    Provides support, education, and advocacy for LGBTQIA+ people of colour, particularly South Asian.

  • Burnett Foundation
    Provides HIV tests, free counselling, HIV prevention and research in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.

  • Body Positive
    A peer support organisation providing care and support to all people living with HIV/AIDS in New Zealand.

  • CARN
    The Cross Agency Rainbow Network includes representatives from different agencies across the public service.

  • Chinese Pride
    Fostering a connected community of queer people who identify as being Chinese, providing a safe and welcoming space, connecting people with support and resources, and advocating for the community.

  • Counting Ourselves
    A community-led survey about the health and wellbeing of trans and non-binary people in Aotearoa New Zealand.

  • Gender Minorities Aotearoa
    A nationwide transgender support organisation, run by and for transgender people.

  • Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
    Specifically Gender health section.

  • Healthify | He Puna Waiora
    Including Gender diversity

  • Hohou Te Rongo Kahukura - Outing Violence
    Provides resources , information, and support for Takatāpui and Rainbow communities dealing with family, partner, and sexual violence.

  • Indian Origin Pride New Zealand
    Works with Indian community leaders and organisations to ensure the community is inclusive of diversity and is safe for Indians who are part of the rainbow community.

  • InsideOUT
    Works to make Aotearoa a safer place for young people of minority genders and sexualities.

  • Intersex Aotearoa
    Is an intersex-led non-profit organisation whose mission and vision is to create a safe and supportive society where intersex people can be visible and thrive.

  • MEDSAC
    The expert body in sexual assault/abuse and non-fatal strangulation and/or suffocation medicine in Aotearoa New Zealand.

  • Nevertheless
    Supporting the holistic well-being of individuals, whānau and aiga who are Takatāpui or Pasifika Rainbow+ communities.

  • NZPC | Aotearoa New Zealand Sex Workers’ Collective
    A New Zealand wide organisation run by sex workers for sex workers, advocating for their rights, health, and well-being.

  • OutLine
    Provides a phone service and other services supporting LGBTI+ including conversion practices survivors.

  • PATHA
    The Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa (PATHA) - an interdisciplinary professional organisation working to promote the health, wellbeing and rights of transgender people.

  • Positive Speakers Bureau
    Supplier of HIV education services empowering people living with HIV to share their stories.

  • Positive Women
    Supporting women and families/whanau living with HIV in Aotearoa New Zealand.

  • Rainbow Path NZ
    An advocacy and peer support group for the rights of Rainbow refugees and asylum seekers in Aotearoa.

  • Rainbow Support Collective
    Connects peer-led LGBTQIA+ organisations who provide service delivery and peer-support services in Aotearoa.

  • Rainbow Youth
    Provides information, advocacy, and support for queer & gender diverse (LGBT) young people in Aotearoa.

  • Rewired
    Support to make changes to meth and other drug use in the context of party ’n’ play, (also see Drugs and alcohol - getting help | New Zealand Police).

  • Takatāpui NZ
    A resource hub for Takatāpui and their whānau.

  • Te Kāhui Tika Tangata | Human Rights Commission
    Aotearoa New Zealand's National Human Rights Institution.

  • Toitū te Ao
    Empowering and supporting Māori living with HIV in Aotearoa.

Plus, there are countless local rainbow pride groups around Aotearoa - contact us at DLOs@police.govt.nz and we’ll put you in touch!

Resources and Links

*Rainbow communities:
is an umbrella term for all people whose sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions and/or sex characteristics place them outside culturally mainstream categories.

Related information

Ponsonby Rd Flooded with Colour as Pride Parade Draws Over 25,000
Ponsonby Rd Flooded with Colour as Pride Parade Draws Over 25,000
- YOUR EX | 23 Feb 2026

Name and Gender

Personal information is acquired by Police in many ways and many forms to keep our communities safe - How we manage personal information.

Because everyone’s circumstances are different, options for updating people’s names or genders in the National Intelligence System (NIA) need to be assessed for each case.

We have simplified the process, as follows:

  1. Email your request to dlos@police.govt.nz with scanned copies or photographs of evidence of identity and name/gender change:
    • two forms of ID (at least one must be photographic) e.g., new birth certificate, driver licence, passport, AND,
    • an Identity Referee's Statement (PDF, 520KB) OR a clear photograph of you holding your photographic ID
  2. Then we can see if we can update your details for you, and let you know.
     
  3. If we are not able to do so, we will discuss the option of putting a note in our system* so we can ensure we use your correct name and gender when interacting with you.

If you have not yet legally changed your name/gender or updated those records with us, please advise any officer you deal with to help them verify your identity. This will avoid any suspicion of fraudulent intent and may also be an opportunity to update your information.

While Police also use data collected by other agencies, we can only change data in our own system. Here are some links to help you change your birth certificate, passport, driver licence, or information held by the Ministry of Justice.

*This can be used where a person’s gender identity or gender presentation differs from their name or sex recorded in NIA, with their consent, where this may be relevant to their future interactions with Police. It simply advises the officer as to the correct name and pronouns to use, in this format: "DOE, John is gender diverse and is known as DOE, Joan. They use the pronouns SHE/HER."