SPECIAL REPORT: It's been a blast... as she heads into retirement, Assistant Commissioner SUE SCHWALGER talks to Ten One about glass ceilings, creating opportunities, and some of those ‘This is awesome and I get paid to do it’ moments.
From signing up in Hawke’s Bay to signing off in Samoa, Assistant Commissioner Sue Schwalger says her career has been a blast.
As a constable she had to leave Police to have children. After returning she showed you could be a police officer and a mum – blazing a trail as our first female crime manager, then a district commander, then an assistant commissioner.
She says she has never felt like a pioneer, even if others may have heard the tinkling of glass from a smashed ceiling or two.
“It’s about giving back,” she says. “If you do something as a first, it’s about making sure others can follow rather than shutting the door behind you. Wedging the door open.
“The latter part of my career has been about trying to ensure the organisation provides opportunities for those who wouldn’t normally come through, for it not to be as hard as it might have been in the past.”
Sue was one of 12 women among 100 members of Recruit Wing 87 in 1983.
“I loved Police College,” she says. “You’re young, enthusiastic, everything’s new, you bond really quickly with the people you’re with."
She was posted to Hastings, her home patch. It was a good station, she says - but when it came to starting a family… “that’s when HQ said ‘There’s no flexible working. You’re either a mother or a police officer, you can’t be both.”
Sue left Police and returned in 1991 after the birth of her second child. As a rejoin, it was back to the RNZPC for seven weeks in Wing ABC1, a special ‘retread’ course of five.
“That was before the merger with MOT - I think we were guinea pigs for what they wanted to deliver.”
She returned to frontline and community policing in Hamilton before moving to the surveillance squad, where she did her promotional exams. She started her investigative career in Counties Manukau.
“It was the best training ground for an investigator. It was an amazing time that I remember fondly. The people, the community - it was busy but an awesome place to work.”
Her roles included Organised Crime Squad in the pan-Auckland AMCOS, then detective sergeant in the Child Abuse team.
She left Counties as a detective senior sergeant, worked briefly at PNHQ, then in 2008 became Central District Crime Manager. “I thought it was the pinnacle of investigations – something to really aspire to.
“During my time in Counties, I also realised I was not just an investigator but a female leader. I wouldn’t call myself a pioneer but I felt responsibility to support others coming through.
“Encouraging other women to take the next step became important to me.”
Sue over the years... at a reunion and as one of the refresher course 'retreads' (both 1991); at CIB Selection and Induction (1999); HQ portrait, 2014; and Samoa 2024.
As crime manager, Sue was thrust into the spotlight in July 2010 with the killing of Feilding farmer Scott Guy.
“I wasn’t prepared for the nationwide media interest and speculation, and the media frenzy at the trial. I’d never seen that before.
“People were lining up before the doors opened. In adjournments they’d have to leave, then another lot who’d been lining up would come in.
“One woman said to me ‘If you lose this, it’s like losing the Rugby World Cup’. I thought ‘Well, thanks very much, no pressure’.”
There was no murder conviction. The result was disappointing but Sue emerged with enormous respect for both the Guy family and her team.
“They are such an amazing and forgiving family.
“I take my hat off to all the families of homicide victims. It is such an unimaginable thing to happen. We think we’re doing an awesome job but we can’t take the hurt away.
“But you couldn’t get a more motivated team than on a homicide operation. They’re out there doing their very best to get a positive result and help the family however they can.
“We’ve got some awesome investigators in Police - in my view second to none. They are innovative, tenacious and work super hard. I’m proud of what they do.”
Relieving as Whanganui Area Commander gave her another view of leadership, and a desire to become a district commander.
“I learned so much. As a crime manager you need to know the finite details of a range of investigations; as area commander, there is a broader focus on managing people and community concerns. It’s a great role.”
The newly minted superintendent at the helm of Professional Standards.
Sue became National Manager Professional Conduct in 2012, gaining PNHQ experience and seeing the machinery of government at work from close up.
“It was good to understand what happens at PNHQ, to see there are a lot of people there all working extremely hard to support districts.”
There were three months relieving as Wellington District Commander, at a time when Wellington was experiencing a number of major earthquakes.
“Having Parliament in your district – and HQ – means there’s a lot more eyes on you.
“They’re super-professional and represent New Zealand Police really well. All districts do, but it’s harder with so many eyes on them.”
Sue returned to Central in 2014 after attaining the district commander role. “We had floods, homicides, lots of things going on including our people being shot at…
“It was great to work again with the team but in a new role and support them in a different way.”
Sue's contribution was recognised as part of the New Zealand Police Museum's exhibition marking 75 years of women in policing in 2016.
In 2018, Sue received the Samoan matai title Lauano in a ceremony at her father’s home village of Patamea, Savaii.
Her mother is Pākehā and her father came to New Zealand as a teenager. He later returned to Samoa - Sue has been a regular visitor, becoming close to her Samoan family.
“I didn’t grow up with a cultural background. In those days, when you came to New Zealand you had to operate as a New Zealander. The cultural norms and the language weren’t there. But there’s always been that connection.
“It’s been said I don’t look like I’ve got Pacific background - and I do look very much like my mother. But it’s not what’s on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside.”
The connection deepened in 2019 when Sue and her sister Nafanua together received the traditional malu leg tattoo. Sadly, Nafanua died in 2022, aged just 37.
Sue’s Samoan family have followed her achievements. During her first big investigation – Operation Gerona, the rape and stabbing of a 14-year-old Vietnamese girl - her father called to say how proud he was after seeing her interviewed on the TV news in Samoa.
Back in New Zealand, 2018 saw Sue promoted to assistant commissioner on a big day for Police’s Pasifika and Māori women, with Tusha Penny also joining Sandra Venables at AC rank.
As AC Districts, Sue’s patch covered from Tairāwhiti southwards. The role involved her in the aftermath of the Christchurch terror attack and Whakaari tragedy, ensuring her teams were well supported. Again, it was a different sort of leadership.
“My role as AC Districts was to make sure my district commanders had everything they needed… not telling them how to do it but supporting them, to get them everything they needed."
She later shifted to AC Investigations. “It was the same with Investigations, ensuring operational teams got what they needed and knew I had their back and ran the political gauntlet for them.”
During the COVID-19 lockdown period, Sue was one of ‘three in a box’ – with (now Commissioner) Richard Chambers and Scott Fraser - leading the Police response.
“When there was so much ‘noise’ going on during the day, I wanted to calm things down and provide clarity so our leaders could focus on what they needed to do. I developed a daily leaders’ email highlighting salient information for ease of understanding.”
Sue was patron of Police's first Pasifika women's fono, held at the Consulate General of Samoa in Māngere, in 2022.
Sue has remained a wedger-open of doors, even gifting actual door wedges to participants in a 'women in policing' conference as a reminder and an inspiration.
In 2014 she was among those involved in the formation of Police’s Women’s Advisory Network (now the Women’s Collective).
“It was about how we promote diversity of thought, and encourage more women to take the next step, and to understand they are leaders whatever their rank, level or role.
“At the time there was a real movement for Government agencies to make sure we were opening doors - and they were being wedged open for others. I think it made a big difference.”
This extended to actually giving door wedges to participants in a 'women in policing conference'
She has also supported work of the Pasifika women’s network and Mana Wāhine.
“In particular I want to shout out to the Pasifika women who aren’t recognised because they’re not standing out the front, or have ‘rank’.
“They’re doing the hard mahi in a selfless way. My challenge for our Pasifika men is to walk beside them, lifting them up. I’m sad that I didn’t really make a difference in this area but I hope change is coming.”
And the doors? “I think in the mainstream they are pretty much wedged open – perhaps less so for some specialist roles.
“I say to people ‘Challenge yourself and apply anyway’. Sometimes you just have to make the panel work hard for their decision.”
Sue’s final career role was, appropriately, in Samoa as New Zealand's Senior National Officer (SNO) in support of Samoa hosting the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
It meant living in Samoa, spending time with family and having the privilege of supporting both her nations.
“It couldn’t have come at a better time or been a better opportunity for me to exit policing on a high.
“It was a really special time and a positive transition – it took me out of high-end Level 8 operations to something really different: working with MFAT, learning the political and diplomatic necessaries, dealing with international diplomats and operating in a foreign country.”
She is full of praise for the Samoan authorities – “they presented a world-class CHOGM and I was proud to be part of that” – and the New Zealand Police teams that supported them.
“Our Police contingent did an awesome job under trying circumstances. It was hot, they needed resilience because they were living on a naval vessel - but they were great representatives for New Zealand and Samoa.”
There were surprises. One was HMNZS Manawanui sinking off the Samoan coast two weeks before CHOGM.
“It’s a real shift in responsibilities, being in a diplomatic role. Mine was not an operational role but one of support to the NZ High Commission and the crew who were rescued.”
Another surprise was Samoa Police’s love of marching. “I’ve never marched so much. They march every morning, Monday to Friday. They have their police band and they march to the front of the Government building.
“I got thrown in the deep end. It was International Women’s Day - we went to join the march and of course they put me in front. Marching in New Zealand Police uniform in Samoa…such a proud moment. It was really quite emotional.”
Marching on International Women's Day.
Since returning from Samoa in November, Sue has been acclimatising to life outside of policing.
“I’ve got 10 grandchildren so I’ve been bouncing around between places.
“I also want to thank my kids for the birthdays and other life events I missed. That’s what I won’t miss, making plans and then having to work – but don’t get me wrong: I’ve absolutely loved my job and where it’s taken me.
“It’s great to have the support of family and friends because policing - wonderful though it is - is a tough gig. I applaud the frontline who face challenges we didn’t face in earlier times.”
The thanks embrace “everyone I’ve worked with, sharing my career. It’s been an awesome adventure.
“I’ve had a great time, had some fun, seen some not-so-nice things, but I’ve seen our people at their best when our communities and people have been at their worst and I’ve never been so proud.”
There were privileged, ‘pinch me’ moments, like being on the Great Wall of China one Christmas Day during an extradition; being Commissioner’s representative for Prince Charles and Camilla’s tour in 2019; CHOGM; and those leadership roles.
“Police gives you the chance to do so many things. I would often think ‘This is awesome and I get paid to do it’.
“I’ve had some great opportunities and met some awesome people. For someone who secretly aspired to be a detective sergeant one day… It’s been a blast.”
