For the very first time, New Zealand police are introducing hijab into their official uniform. In order to achieve the design, they’ve worked closely with a Muslim student at the Royal New Zealand Police College.
This new garment is designed with adherence to functionality and respect of the Islamic officers’ faith.
Zeena Ali, a thirty-year-old who applied to join the New Zealand Police after the 2019 Christchurch attacks graduated last week and is set to become the first officer in the forces’ history to don the new police-issued hijab.
Ali, during her training period, tried many designs and fabrics and provided feedback to the New Zealand Police and Massey Design School. Now, as she completed her recruitment process, she has an official police-branded hijab to wear to graduation.
“It feels great to be able to go out and show the New Zealand Police hijab as part of my uniform,” she told the NZ Herald. “I think that seeing it, more Muslim women will want to join as well.”
Ali will be posted to the Tāmaki Makaurau area. She remembers her career shift from being a customer service to law enforcement.
“One of the security guards I worked with was going to join the police and she asked me to help her,” she said. “As I started that process the Christchurch terror attack happened and that’s when I realized more Muslim women were needed in the police, to go and support people with things like this. If I had joined the police earlier, I would have been down there to help.
Ali, who was born in Fiji and moved to New Zealand as a child, is happy with the New Zealand Police for considering the religious and cultural aspects of a uniform as it will now encourage and inspire more people from different backgrounds to join the force.
Valuing diversity is one of the core principles of the New Zealand Police in addition to professionalism, respect, integrity, empathy, and commitment to Māori and the Treaty of Waitangi.
