Source: New Zealand Police
Media are invited to attend the graduation ceremonies of recruit wings 389 in Wellington and 390 in Auckland this week.
The ceremonies mark the recruits’ completion of their initial training course and attestation as Police Officers.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers and Associate Minister of Police Hon Casey Costello will attend both ceremonies, alongside the respective wing patrons.
Graduation of the New Zealand Police Cameron Leslie 389 Recruit Wing will take place at Te Rauparaha Arena, 17 Parumoana Street, Porirua at 10am tomorrow, Thursday 13 November.
Graduation of the New Zealand Police Sir John Key 390 Recruit Wing will be held at the Barfoot and Thompson Stadium in Auckland at 11am on Friday 14 November.
Details about statistics, prize winners and other recruits will be shared after graduation.
Media are requested to confirm their attendance at either ceremony by emailing the Police Media Centre: media@police.govt.nz
389 Wing Patron:
Cameron Leslie MNZM is a Kiwi Paralympian and Wheel Black from Whangārei.
He has broken world records and won gold medals at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games.
He debuted for New Zealand in 2006, and after having spent most of his career as a medley swimmer he switched to becoming a sprinter before the recent Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. At those Games, Cameron’s best finishes were two 4th placings where
he missed the podium by 0.13 and 0.24 of a second.
Cameron was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2009 New Year’s Honours, for services to swimming.
In wheelchair rugby Cameron is known as a mid-point player. This means he carries the ball a lot and is one of the generals on court. Recently he competed in Adelaide for the Wheel Blacks against teams from all over the world.
Among some of Cameron’s proudest achievements are helping the Wheel Blacks qualify for the 2020 Summer Paralympics, which Cameron did not attend due to Covid and the birth of his second child, and being a finalist for the global sporting awards The
Laureus Awards in 2023.
Currently Cameron lives in Whangārei with his wife and three children while working for Swimming New Zealand as the Disability and Para Swimming Participation Manager.
390 Wing Patron:
The Right Honourable Sir John Key was the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2008 to December 2016, successfully leading the National Party to three election victories before retiring from politics at the end of 2016.
He led the country through the aftermath of the global financial crisis and a series of devastating earthquakes in Christchurch.
Sir John entered politics after a successful career in investment banking including nearly a decade in New Zealand, primarily with Bankers Trust, and a decade offshore with investment bank Merrill Lynch in London, Singapore and Sydney.
Sir John is married to Bronagh and has two adult children, Stephie and Max. He loves to cook, watch rugby, travel and play golf. He also has his helicopter pilot licence.
In 2017 he was made a Knight Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, which brings with it the title of Sir John.
He was also recognised by the Australian Government and has been appointed an Honorary Companion in the Order of Australia.
The University of Canterbury awarded Sir John an Honorary Doctorate in Commerce in 2017. He graduated from the university in 1983 with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accountancy.
Sir John keeps busy by contributing to several boards, he chairs the Board of Oritain Global (NZ) and the Advisory Board for Bolt Group (Australia), and he is an advisor to a range of organisations. He also engages in public speaking events throughout New Zealand, Australia and the world.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
