ABSTRACT
Since 2007, the New Zealand Police have undergone substantial reforms to investigative interviewing policy and practice. The reforms borrowed much from the developments in England and Wales associated with the introduction of the PEACE model (PEACE refers to the phases of all investigative interviews: Planning and preparation, Engage and explain, Account, Closure, and Evaluation; see Clarke and Milne, 2001). New Zealand, however, is distinct from these other countries by virtue of its one police service, which enabled national organisational change. Consequently, interviewing in New Zealand has become governed and resourced at a national level, with the development of national interviewing policy and standards. The reforms have also resulted in the implementation of a competency programme that includes supervision, training and assessment in an attempt to address the difficulties associated with developing and retaining interviewing skills (see Powell et al., 2005).
