A woman who was once the country's biggest critic of the New Zealand Police is hoping a Government promise of 500 extra officers is properly funded in tomorrow's budget.
Back in 2004, Louise Nicholas accused three officers of rape and says while she previously "hated" police, the frontline officers of today are "worth every cent".
Nicholas was concise when talking with Newshub and reflecting on how she used to feel about police
"I hated them with a vengeance, I absolutely did. They scared the living hell out of me," she said.
Nicholas, now an advocate for sex abuse survivors who leads the Louise Nicholas Trust, told Newshub she's witnessed a lot of change in the way police respond to complainants.
"We've got bloody good coppers here in New Zealand, now. Back in the day, we were just case file numbers, but today, we're actually people."
Back in the day, an inquiry prompted by Nicholas's complaints of police rape found evidence of disgraceful conduct in the 1980s.
Dame Margaret Bazley led the review, which outlined 47 recommendations for change.
The officers Nicholas accused of rape - Brad Shipton, Bob Schollum and Clint Rickards - were found not guilty.
However, the jury was not aware that Schollum and Shipton were already in jail for the pack rape of another woman in 1989.
Nicholas recalls the terror of testifying in court.
"I remember sitting in the courtroom in the Auckland High Court and I was smashed around that court room."
She says she felt under attack while on the stand, and was called a "vindictive, sex crazed, racist, liar".
Nicholas says survivors can now give video police interviews, which helps prevent bruising encounters in court.
The manager of the adult sexual assault and child protection team, Detective Inspector David Kirby, told Newshub the attitude of police staff, training and relationships police have with specialist sexual violence services and the medical fraternity is vastly improved.
Kirby says it has also been made much easier for survivors to come forward to police.
"What we've tried to do is create a culture where there is a safe space for people to come and report."
Nicholas has helped mentor and advise new police recruits, and regularly works with police at court where she supports victims of rape and sexual assault.
"It's a privilege to walk alongside them in the work we do supporting survivors of sexual violence," she said.
However, she admits problems still exist in some regions, although she doesn't believe it's a widespread issue.
"We have got dumb-asses. Every organisation has those bad apples."
Detective Inspector Kirby says there's always ways to improve and accepts police sometimes "drop the ball".
"We never get it right all the time. There is always continuous improvement."
The improvement, Nicholas says, is plain to see. But she's worried about the number of police officers leaving New Zealand for Australia due to poor pay.
"We are losing that knowledge, and they deserve every cent that they're asking for."
She's witnessed the impact a lack of resources can have, saying officers are sometimes pulled off rape cases if there's a homicide.
She told Newshub that's devastating for the survivors she supports.
"[They're] gutted, because now they're having to wait even longer."
Tomorrow's budget will include details of a key coalition promise - how they'll fund an additional 500 officers in two years. But a stalemate between the police union and government over pay increases is yet to be concluded.
A final decision will be made by an arbitrator after police rejected an initial offer from the Government, calling it "insulting".
"It's wrong how they've been treated," Nicholas said.
She urges politicians to get a better idea of what frontline policing involves.
"Walk in their shoes for a day, do a night shift with them. Actually see what it is that they have to do."
The police provide a critical service - one she believes has been undervalued for too long.
