New Zealand Police's campaign Puhikura is being used to attract more Māori women to join police.

The candid documentary series shows wāhine Māori police applicants telling their honest stories of what has held them back from being recruited into Police and what has called them forward, says a Police spokesperson.

"The documentary/short films will be used as a focal point for community and marae-based recruiting seminars and events hosted by New Zealand Police targeting Māori – wāhine, tāne, iwi, whānau and friends.

"Our aim is to invite kōrero with us about individuals' barriers or concerns," says a Police spokesperson.

"We want other wāhine Māori to be able to identify with those profiled in the documentaries and hope the campaign helps us to better understand and be able to answer barriers for Māori from a Te Ao Māori perspective."

A recruitment event will be held from 5.30pm at Gisborne Girls High School, 555 Gladstone Road, Te Hapara on Wednesday July 27.

There is also a recruitment event from 6 - 8pm on Wednesday July 27 at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, 510 Te Rapa Road, Hamilton.

Other events will be held across the country over the course of the next few months.

New wāhine Māori Police graduates. Photo: NZ Police.

On Thursday June 30 Wing 355, the Arihia Stirling Wing, graduated with 24 of the recruits identifying as wāhine Māori. Back in 2017, Police were achieving less than that number across the entire year.

We are excited that we will have a future constabulary workforce that will match or be very close to matching our population demographics.

But we are not there yet – and that's why this campaign is needed, as although the numbers of Māori being recruited have increased substantially over the past four years, this is still a group that is under-represented, particularly wāhine Māori.

Diversity in Police is important for all New Zealanders and we are absolutely committed to delivering the best possible policing service for New Zealanders.

We encourage any wāhine Māori, tāne, iwi, whānau and friends to attend these community events to find out more information and talk to recruiting staff.

Media are also invited to attend any of the events in their districts but will need to leave before the Question-and-Answer sessions.

To find out more about the Puhikura campaign and check for other community events near you check them out here: www.newcops.govt.nz/puhikura

A:Police recruitment event will be held from 5.30pm at Gisborne Girls High School, 555 Gladstone Road, Te Hapara on Wednesday July 27. Contact/RSVP: Jamie Hutana - Jamie.Hutana@police.govt.nz

A:Police recruitment event will be held from 6 - 8pm on Wednesday July 27 at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, 510 Te Rapa Road, Hamilton. Contact: Kimiora Corness – kimiora.corness@police.govt.nz