The ‘clarity’ running brings to being a police officer

Friday, 6 February 2026

During a tumultuous first year on the job, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers relied on his running routine to keep pace with a role that rarely slows down.

“Running brings clarity to my work … In my first 12 months I had quite a lot to deal with, and a lot of that was very public, and I felt running helped give me the energy to continue to work at the pace that I was working at,” he said.

Chambers started taking running “more seriously” about 15 years ago, when he moved into leadership roles within the police.

And it’s the mental health benefits of the activity, rather than the physical benefits, that have kept him at it.

Now, he gets up every morning around 5am and tends to do either 5km or 10km: “It sets me up perfectly for the day.”

Running is one of the ways Chambers builds and maintains resilience.

Officers increasingly had a challenging job, dealing with some “pretty terrible things”, so fitness was really important, he said.

At 53-years-old running didn’t “get any easier”, but it’s not about how fast or how far he runs, it’s about getting outside.

Chambers will take part in Southern Cross Round the Bays in both Wellington and Auckland, where NZ Police have teamed with Round the Bays to create a 2.4km recruitment challenge.

There will be a timing mat at the 2.4km mark where runners can see if they’ve got what it takes to train and complete the running portion of the police physical appraisal test.

Officers from all areas in the police have signed up to compete on the day.

As part of the drive, Chambers will be wearing a bib with emergency number 111 on it and other officers will have bibs marked with non-emergency number 105 or police radio codes.

Chambers plans on giving the first 2.4kms a “bit of a burst” to see how fast he can do it, but after that he was just looking forward to running with his colleagues.

One of those is Senior Sergeant Loretta Hunt-Tevaga, who started running long distances after a breakup more than 30 years ago.

Now she can’t imagine not having running as part of her routine.

Hunt-Tevaga, who joined the police in 2009, describes herself as an “active relaxer”, someone who finds peace in running, going for a walk or doing a gym session.

It’s an attribute she discovered during Covid, stuck in managed isolation after coming back from deployment, and something she’s found particularly helpful in her role at the National Command and Coordination Centre.

“You can put work aside, family aside and that’s your time.”

It’s a passion that’s seen her complete fun runs, a triathlon and half-marathons.

Hunt-Tevaga will be competing in the Honda half marathon at Round the Bays on February 15 alongside colleague Superintendent Sam Keats, director at the Royal New Zealand Police College.

Keats will be running with a couple of recruits, who have given themselves a goal of finishing the 21.1km race in an hour and a half.

He has been running since high school, and since joining the police in 2011 its became part of his daily ritual.

He likes the solitude of running and finds it’s “great way to unpack things”. Keats usually runs at least four or five times a week.

As director of the police college, Keats walks the talk, encouraging recruits to maintain a base level of fitness. “It helps you sleep well, which obviously keeps you safe, it keeps your heart healthy, and it gives you some mobility, which then helps you to perform well in your job.”

Hunt-Tevaga added that for anyone considering a career in police but were worried about the physical side of things, she has known many officers who weren’t runners before they joined.

“If this is a career that you’re really passionate about and that you really want to do … I’m sure any police officer would be more than happy to help in one way or another.”

Southern Cross Round the Bays is an 8.4km fun run coming to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in February and March. To register, visit roundthebays.co.nz