All screens blazing for recruits

Mixing reality TV with Facebook meant potential recruits could chat with police officers during a recent documentary series on Māori Television.

Six Māori officers from Wellington District stepped up as virtual mentors to test the approach for Police. They came from different areas of work including community services, family violence, general duties and dog section.

Officers led discussions on Facebook while a programme on Māori recruits showed on TV.

The series, Nga Pirihimana Hou, followed Māori recruits through their training at Police College. It aired on Friday nights from June to August.

As each episode went to air, one of the six officers logged onto Facebook and posted stories or a video about their career highlights. They stayed online to interact with viewers who asked questions or posted comments. Each episode generated 50-300 interactions.

Questions centered on the officer’s line of work, their experiences at Police College and how they would handle scenarios depicted in the TV show, says Cam Moore, Recruitment Marketing Manager.

“Our research shows it’s important young Māori can interact with role models,” says Cam. “The officers taking part did a great job and really made policing more accessible to potential applicants.”

The approach is likely to be used again with other selected programmes, says Cam.