Bryan Ward - Police Remembrance Day

Police Remembrance Day falls on September 29, the feast day of the Archangel Michael - the patron saint of Police. The day pays tribute to police officers who have been slain on duty, and remembers Police staff who have died in the past year.

To date, 29 police officers have been killed at work since records began in 1886.

Official Remembrance Day Service at Royal New Zealand Police College

The official Remembrance Day service is to be held at the Royal New Zealand Police College in Porirua onTuesday 29 September 2015. The service honours the New Zealand, Australian and South Pacific police officers, who have been slain on duty. It also remembers New Zealand Police staff - serving and retired, sworn and non-sworn - who have died in the past year. Tributes to the officers, the calling of the Roll of Honour, a traditional salute and the laying of a wreath by the Commissioner of Police at the Police College Memorial Wall are all integral parts of the service.

Police districts may also hold their own Remembrance Day services at police stations across the country.

Chevron-embedded Huia Pin to raise awareness.

The Police Remembrance Pin is a Police chevron-embedded Huia feather. It was designed by the Police Association as a way by which members of police across New Zealand can engage in and feel part of the day.

The pin helps raise awareness of Police Remembrance Day and provides a mechanism by which Police members throughout the districts honour the memory of their fallen colleagues.

The pin is attached to a card carrying the Maori words:

Huia e! Huia tangata kotahi. He totara kua hinga.

This translates to:

The feather of the Huia, for someone special. One dearly departed.

Considered 'tapu' or sacred by Maori, the wearing of the Huia tail feather as ornamentation is considered a great honour. The tail plumage of the Huia bird, now also lost to us, is extremely special. The incorporation of the Police chevron into the Huia tail feather, with the small cut at the top, signifying loss, communicates the honour and loss of someone special to Police.

Police Association President Greg O'Connor said,"They paid the ultimate sacrifice. It also serves as an important reminder of the unique nature of policing - where the nature of the job itself brings with it the risk of death."