Source: New Zealand Police
Media are invited to the 387 Jude Simpson MNZM recruit wing graduation.
What: Graduation of the New Zealand Police 387 Recruit Wing.
Who: For families and friends to celebrate with the newly attested police officers.
Why: Completion and graduation from their initial training course.
Where: Te Rauparaha Arena, 17 Parumoana Street, Porirua.
When: Thursday 4 September at 2pm – media will need to be in place by 1.45pm.
How: RSVP the Police Media Centre if you’re attending: media@police.govt.nz
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers will attend the ceremony along with a delegation from Victoria Police, Australia.
Also attending will be members of the Police executive and Wing Patron, Jude Simpson MNZM.
The ceremony will include a minute’s silence in honour of Victoria Police officers, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, who were killed in the line of duty in Porepunkah, Victoria on 26 August, 2025.
Commissioner Chambers: “It is important to mark the service Neal and Vadim gave to their communities, organisation and country. I have also spoken to Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush on behalf of our New Zealand Police to acknowledge the loss and will attend the funerals of the two fallen officers in the next few days on behalf of all New Zealand Police staff.
“NZ Police works closely with Victoria Police and our Australian colleagues are here on a pre-arranged visit to look at the technology and tools we provide to our New Zealand Police officers to help them in their work.”
The 387 Wing Patron:
Jude Simpson is a family harm education and training specialist. She is passionate about empowering victims of family harm to live their life to their full potential.
Jude has been working for the past 11 years at the Royal New Zealand Police College as the lead Family Harm Facilitator. She designed, developed and delivers training for recruits on family harm from the perspectives of a victim and a perpetrator. Alongside other family harm training, this gives recruits a full view of family harm and how to respond to it with empathy and understanding.
Jude has also worked for Presbyterian Support Northern as a Family Violence Advocate and while in this role designed, developed and delivered a programme for the Department of Corrections focusing on low-risk women offenders. The objective of the programme was to build self esteem and empower and support the women into work or training.
Over the years, Jude has become a skilled presenter and facilitator, and she has spoken at many conferences as the keynote speaker.
Jude was the lead female spokesperson for the “It’s not ok” national campaign for several years and helped raise awareness of family harm and the needs of victims. She was the project lead on Mangere College becoming the first school in the country to be an “It’s not ok” school.
In 2018 Jude was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for her contribution and work relating to family harm.
Born and raised in Taranaki, Jude now lives in Tauranga. She is the mother of four, a grandmother and great grandmother.
More details about statistics, prize winners and other recruits will be shared after graduation on Thursday and a follow up Ten One story will be published later next month.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
