Commissioner and Executive

The chief executive of Police is known as the Commissioner and is appointed by the Governor General. Richard Chambers is the current Commissioner of New Zealand Police. The Commissioner of Police is accountable to the Minister of Police for the administration of police services, but acts independently in carrying out law enforcement decisions.

Nationally we have 12 districts, which are administered from Police National Headquarters in Wellington, and a number of national service centres that provide administrative and specialised support, such as forensic services.

Each of the 12 districts have a District Commander and a team of Area Commanders who manage the day-to-day operations. You can find a list of these commanders on the district pages.

Executive Leadership Team

Commissioner of Police

Richard Chambers

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Richard Chambers became Commissioner of Police on 25 November 2024. On his first day as Commissioner, he outlined his high-level priorities:

Focus on core policing – enforcing the law – prevention, response, investigations, and resolutions. Doing the basics well.

Supporting the frontline – enhancing staff safety, well-being, and capability.

Leadership – that is visible, connected, supportive and accountable.

Fiscal responsibility – including identifying opportunities to reinvest in the frontline.

Richard joined Police on 22 January 1996, and was posted to Auckland City District on graduation. After two years in frontline general duties, he joined CIB and later qualified as a detective.

He held a number of supervisory roles, in Auckland City and later Wellington Districts at sergeant and senior sergeant level. In 2005 he was promoted to the rank of inspector in a role leading the development of strategy and policy at Police National Headquarters.

In 2007 he was promoted to the position of Lower Hutt Area Commander, during which time he also served as relieving Wellington District Commander. It was at this time that he became involved in kapa haka as a way of deepening his understanding of te reo Māori, tikanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

He returned to PNHQ to lead the Mobility workstream of the Policing Excellence programme, which led in 2013 to the introduction of iPhones for Police staff.

Richard was promoted to superintendent and took the role of Tasman District Commander in February 2012, also relieving as Southern District Commander for six months.

He exchanged one of Police’s most geographically diverse and sparsely populated districts for the smallest and one of the most densely populated on appointment as District Commander of Auckland City in 2014.

In 2016 Richard was appointed Assistant Commissioner, leading investigations, serious and organised crime, including cybercrime, and financial crime.

During his time as Assistant Commissioner: Investigations, Serious and Organised Crime, he initiated the development and implementation of the Investigations Management Tool, which has become one of the most significant enablers for investigators across the country. He also led the design and implementation of the Reintegration programme to support Police staff involved in critical incidents.

With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand in early 2020, Richard became co-lead of the New Zealand Police response.

In 2020 he was appointed Assistant Commissioner: Districts, supporting Northland, Waitematā, Auckland City, Counties Manukau, Waikato, and Bay of Plenty policing districts, later expanding to include Central and Eastern Districts.

In 2022 he served as National Controller of Operation Convoy, the policing of the 23-day illegal occupation of Parliament Grounds and surrounding streets, and in 2023 as the National Controller for Operation Gabrielle, the Police response to Cyclone Gabrielle.

Richard headed overseas in 2024, taking on a role with INTERPOL as Director of Organised and Emerging Crime, based in Lyon, France. This role is responsible for global operations and strategy development focused on criminal networks, vulnerable communities and illicit markets including environmental crime.

Richard holds academic qualifications including an Executive Masters in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Commerce.
Deputy Commissioner: Frontline Operations

Tania Kura

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Tania Kura (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Te Kanawa) joined Police in 1987.

Throughout her career, Tania has relentlessly focused on the development of her people and building a strong, positive culture. In 2020 she became the first female police officer to be appointed Deputy Commissioner.

Before being appointed interim Commissioner she held the Frontline Operations portfolio where she was responsible for Investigations and all 12 Police Districts, overseeing day-to-day policing and operations throughout New Zealand.

She has also held the Leadership and Capability portfolio and was responsible for the organisation’s strategies and approaches to culture, and people and capability development (including operational capability).

Tania was recruited from Invercargill where she was born and raised. Her first posting was to Christchurch. She was the Area Commander of Hawke’s Bay for five years and was promoted to Eastern District Commander in 2017 where she demonstrated her ability to lead significant cultural change.

She has worked at The Royal New Zealand Police College and the districts of Canterbury, Southern, Central, Bay of Plenty, and Eastern in a variety of uniform and investigative and leadership areas.

Tania was interim Commissioner of Police from Monday 11 November to Sunday 24 November 2024.
Deputy Chief Executive: Iwi & Communities

Pieri Munro MNZM

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Pieri was appointed Deputy Chief Executive Iwi & Communities based at Police National Headquarters in late 2023. He previously spent five years at Hawke’s Bay Regional Council where, as interim Chief Executive from February to May 2023, he led council through the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle.

He brings a wealth of knowledge, skill and experience drawn from a very successful 35-year Police career, from 1975 to 2010, that included serving as District Commander Wellington. In 1989 he was the first person formally appointed as New Zealand Police cultural adviser within the EEO Unit (Equal Employment Opportunities & Diversity), becoming principal architect of Police strategies for responsiveness to Māori and the Treaty. In 2003 he led establishment of Māori Pacific and Ethnic Services at Police National Headquarters, then took secondment to Waikato District as relieving District Commander. He retired from Police in 2009 as Wellington District Commander. In 2004 he was invested as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to Police and Māori.

Outside Police, Pieri is Deputy Chair of Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Trust, the post-settlement iwi governance entity for the rohe of Te Wairoa. He represents Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc on Te Poari Hautū Rautaki Māori, the Māori Leaders Board for Te Ara Poutama, Department of Corrections.

Pieri affiliates to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, Ngā Rauru Kiitahi, Ngāruahine, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Maniapoto and Kaitahu though Kāti Irakehu. He also acknowledges his Scottish, Irish and Portuguese heritage. Pieri and Vicky, from Kai Tahu, have three adult children and two granddaughters.
Deputy Commissioner: People, Leadership & Culture

Chris de Wattignar

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Deputy Commissioner Chris de Wattignar joined Police in 1999. He is responsible for People Services, Professional Conduct, Safer People and Training for New Zealand Police. He works closely with, and is supported by, a team of Assistant Commissioners, Executive Directors, and Directors, and is responsible for the organisation’s strategies and approaches to culture, health and wellness, and people and leadership development.

Chris commenced his career in road policing, intelligence, and general duties. He qualified as a detective in the Criminal Investigation Branch and spent several years in South Auckland investigating a wide range of serious crime. He held significant operational leadership roles as Area Commander: Counties Manukau South and District Commander: Central District. He was promoted to the Police Executive as Assistant Commissioner: Iwi and Communities at New Zealand Police National Headquarters in 2021.

Chris has a BA (Philosophy) and Postgraduate Certificates in Applied and Public Management. He obtained a Master’s degree in International Security with Distinction (Intelligence) from Massey University in 2015.

Chris is a United Nations Qualified Expert for investigating the use of chemical/biological weapons. He spent a year as a New Zealand Government secondee to the UN investigating allegations of war crimes in the Middle East. He has held external governance roles in a South Auckland youth development trust and his local kohanga reo.
Deputy Chief Executive: Strategy & Performance

Andrea Conlan

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Andrea Conlan is an accomplished New Zealand public sector leader. She has a wealth of people and functional leadership experience including the last 12 years at ACC where she was the Head of Customer Performance, Head of Service Support and Acting Deputy Chief Executive - Strategy, Engagement and Planning.

Andrea has led large complex business functions and she brings extensive experience in strategic planning, financial management and operational performance. She has a strong foundation in risk assessment and media, communications and engagement.

She has also led significant transformational change programmes at ACC, the Ministry of Fisheries and Airwave Solutions in the UK. The foundation of her career was in procurement, supplier management and commercial negotiation.

An advocate and driver for positive change and continuous improvement in the public sector, she is known for her collaborative leadership style, with a focus on action and solutions.

Andrea has a Bachelor of Science (Pharmacology) and Bachelor of Commerce (Management) from University of Otago.

While originally from the mainland, Andrea and her husband, John, have called Wellington home for the past 20 years. They have two young active boys and spend their weekends watching, playing and talking about football.
Director – Office of the Commissioner

Maria Rawiri

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Maria Rawiri joined Police in November 2020. The Director: Office of the Commissioner provides strategic support to the Commissioner, Executive Leadership Team, and governance to help Police deliver on its priorities and organisational goals. An important focus of the role is to enhance collaborative working arrangements within New Zealand Police and with key partners.

Maria has a wide range of experience from across the public service. She was previously a chief advisor and general manager at the Ministry of Justice, and over the past decade has worked in senior management roles at Oranga Tamariki and the Office of the Auditor-General. In the early part of her career, Maria worked at the New Zealand Treasury and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.