NZ police and Defence Force workers will be required to be vaccinated as part of the Covid-19 traffic light system.
Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
This will cover sworn members, recruits and authorised officers of the police and all Defence Force staff.
First doses of the vaccine for these workers are required by 17 January and second doses by 1 March.
So far, 92 percent of all constabulary police staff have received at least one dose, and 86 percent are fully vaccinated.
Defence Force uniformed personnel are currently 98 percent fully vaccinated and civilian staff are 75 percent fully vaccinated.
In a statement, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster welcomed the mandate and said it was an "essential component of safety".
"In today's environment, the community has an expectation that our staff are protected from the virus and are fully vaccinated.
The majority of police staff are already fully vaccinated: 92.2 percent have had one dose and 86.5 percent both.
"It is not my desire to lose anyone from the organisation as a result of this new mandate and we will work with staff covered by the Vaccination Order to encourage them to get vaccinated," Coster said.