The New Zealand Police is the national police service and principal law enforcement agency of New Zealand, responsible for preventing crime, enhancing public safety, bringing offenders to justice, and maintaining public order. With about 13,000 personnel, it is the largest law enforcement agency in New Zealand and, with few exceptions, has primary jurisdiction over the majority of New Zealand criminal law. The New Zealand Police also has responsibility for traffic and commercial vehicle enforcement as well as other key responsibilities including protection of dignitaries, firearms licensing, and matters of national security.
Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States in this 2008 photo, meeting New Zealand Police officers in Bamyan, Afghanistan
Royal New Zealand Police training college
Police officers at the scene of an incident in Christchurch
Police dog handler
The monarchy of New Zealand is the constitutional system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of New Zealand. The current monarch, King Charles III, acceded to the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on 8 September 2022 in the United Kingdom. The King's elder son, William, Prince of Wales, is the heir apparent.
Monarchy of New Zealand
Queen Elizabeth II opening a session of the New Zealand Parliament, 12 January 1954
New Zealand Herald Extraordinary, Phillip O'Shea, reading the proclamation of accession of Charles III on the steps of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II with the New Zealand Cabinet, 1981