Australia has launched a new campaign to poach some of Aotearoa's best police officers.
While similar schemes have been undertaken before, this time it's not new recruits but rather our most-experienced senior constables they're targeting.
With hundreds of vacancies for officers across New Zealand the campaign is badly timed for the Coalition Government which is already under pressure to pay for and staff its new national gang unit.
When Sydney's top cop Karen Webb stepped up to the mic at a media conference on Wednesday morning, she spoke directly to Kiwis.
"If you are a police officer in another jurisdiction in Australia or New Zealand at senior constable level, join the New South Wales police force," said Webb, the state's Police Commissioner.
"We pay well and we're attractive."
So far, Australia's recruitment drive is working, according to Chris Cahill from the NZ Police Association.
"It's a real worry. We lost 20 officers alone last week," Cahill told Newshub.
"A number of them have gone to Queensland or Western Australia Police."
The Government's new tough-on-crime stance is putting more pressure on police, and it hasn't yet revealed how it will pay for and staff its brand-new national gang unit.
"We expect it will be a mix of reprioritisation and new investment, but we can't get ahead of budget announcements," police commissioner Andrew Coster told AM.
With 250 vacancies for police across the country, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon admitted New Zealand can't match Aussie's pay.
"It's up to each individual police officer to make their decision, but I'd just say to you we are wanting to build a country where police officers choose to stay here," Luxon said.
But that hasn't been enough.
In the past 12 months, Australia has been aggressively targeting Kiwi cops, using incentives like $20,000 cash bonuses.
New South Wales is after senior constables, and they'll let them keep their rank if they move over.
"When it becomes really easy and you're not losing your rank - so you're keeping the pay levels at the higher rate than having to start again in Australia - that makes it really attractive to a number of officers," said Cahill.
Such migrations mean New Zealand is losing not only police officers, but also crucial police experience.
