Two decades on, New Zealand Police continue as advisors in Bougainville

RNZ News

24-04-2025

NZ police officers in Bougainville. (file image)
Photo:
RNZ / Johnny Blades
New Zealand Police have been providing assistance to the Bougainville community policing initiative for 20 years.
This work has seen a small team - changed every year or so - liaising with community constables and advising them when appropriate.
These days the team is integrated into the Bougainville Police Service but the New Zealand officers continue to play a role as team leader Wayne Maurirere told RNZ Pacific.
(The transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.)
Wayne Maurirere:
New Zealand police handed over full control. I think it was done by end of 2021 [and] part of 2022.
Don Wiseman: The police partnership team is remaining there. What is the nature of the work now? Is it any different?
WM:
It is very similar to what it has been. We certainly have a strong focus on supporting the community police strategy, of which the auxiliary police an integral part of together with the Bougainville Police Service.
DW: The people you have worked with, do they operate in a different way within the Bougainville police force? Or do they operate as a typical Papua New Guinea police person.
WM:
Oh, no. They certainly offer a bit different to mainland Papua New Guinea police. Definitely, a community focus in Bougainville. Going back to the Peace Agreement, it was the desire of the Bougainvilleans to have a police service, as opposed to a police force, because they wanted to maintain focus on community relationships, and that is still the case today.
DW: I have been talking with a researcher, Dennis Kuiai. I imagine you know Dennis?
WM:
I have met him once.
DW: Well, he has mentioned to me about how important the community policing team is to Bougainville because Bougainville has this issue - and lots of parts of Papua New Guinea do - where the crimes committed, they are a symptom of far deeper issues within Bougainvillean society, much of it going back to trauma from the Civil War. Do you see that?
WM:
It is certainly discussed amongst the wider community that they are still dealing with the impacts of the conflicts, and that is why they are so heavily focused on healing the community and Community Auxiliary Police being part of that healing process.
A NZ police car in Buka.
Photo:
AFP
DW: With the people that you are working with. Do you actively recruit them yourselves?
WM:
No, certainly not currently, and this has been the case since the inception of the Auxiliary Police.
They are from the community, selected by leaders within the community, and their names are put forward to the Bougainville Police Service as a preferred candidate to represent that particular community.
DW: What is the nature of the involvement right now? As you say, it has not changed. But what do you do? How do you work alongside Bougainville police?
WM:
We are here to advise them in a capability capacity. So if they have issues, currently one of the issues is abuse of alcohol and drugs. If they start to put together a response to that, they seek our advice and guidance, and we are happy to provide just from our experience in New Zealand.
This has worked in New Zealand. It may or may not work here, but it is something you may want to look at. And they design the response and they implement it. And if it works, it works. If it does not, then back to the drawing table, see how they can tweak that response, and then go back up to try and deal with the issues.
DW: When you look at an issue that police from New Zealand would not have any experience with, like the sorcery accusations that seem to have become rife right across Papua New Guinea, and I understand that they have suddenly got quite bad in Bougainville. What advice are you able to give there?
WM:
That is an interesting question because [sorcery] is a firmly held belief. It is not for us to convince them to do away with sorcery. Good heavens no, the violence associated with sorcery that is a new phenomena, and that is recently emerged.
Where we are helpful in that space is providing advice and guidance around how to deal with violence, which has become a part of that sorcery belief.
DW: How much longer do you think the New Zealand team will be based in Bougainville?
WM:
I do not know this. There is certainly a will amongst local Bougainvillean people to have New Zealand police here for as long as possible. And that decision rests with people way above my pay grade at the mfad level in New Zealand police executive level.
DW: How many people have you got there?
WM:
Myself and five advisors. I am in Buka with one other. I have two advisors in Arawa, the central part of Bougainville and two advisors in Buin, the southern part.