Chief Commissioner

The Victorian Government has appointed Mike Bush CNZM as the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police.

About Chief Commissioner Mike Bush CNZM

Mike Bush commenced his term as the 24^th Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police on 27 June 2025.

Mike comes to Victoria Police having served as the Commissioner of New Zealand Police from 2014 to 2020 and with more than forty years of policing and corporate experience.

Over 40 years of operational and strategic police experience

After joining New Zealand Police in 1978, Mike worked in a range of frontline policing and investigation roles.

He moved through the ranks and as a Detective Inspector was appointed as the New Zealand Police Liaison Officer for South East Asia (Bangkok) in 2003. He held that position until 2007.

Mike was the first New Zealand official at the scene of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami in Phuket, Thailand. He led and managed New Zealand’s response, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including commencing the international Disaster Victim Identification operation.

He was awarded the Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit and a New Zealand Special Service Tsunami Medal for this work.

On his return to New Zealand in 2007, Mike assumed the role of District Crime Services Manager for the Waitemata Police District. Here, he led and provided specialist advice, support, and expertise on all major or serious criminal investigations in the District.

A notable achievement in this role was the successful resolution of the kidnapping for ransom of a child Xin Xin Ma for which he received a Commissioner’s Silver Award.

From 2008 to 2011, Mike was the District Commander for the Counties Manukau Police District, leading 1200 staff and managing all policing activities within the District.

Significant operational results were achieved during this time with the 12 Police Districts meeting crime reduction targets and the lowest recorded road toll. In this role, Mike developed and designed the new Prevention First Operating Model.

In 2011, Mike was promoted to the position of Deputy Commissioner Operations where he had executive responsibility for leading and directing the delivery of policing services to the community through the 12 Police Districts in New Zealand.

He also oversaw the planning and execution of policing requirements for major events such as the Rugby World Cup in 2011 and the Cricket World Cup in 2015.

As Deputy Commissioner, Mike also had strategic responsibility for leading the Policing Excellence Transformation Programme. This included implementation of the new Prevention First Operating Model, transforming police from a response-led service, to preventing crime before it occurs.

He led the design and implementation of the Police Mobility Programme which at the time was world leading and involved fully equipping staff with state-of-the-art mobility access to all major police systems. The Programme fundamentally changed police service delivery, resulting in improved efficiency and effectiveness.

Life as Commissioner of New Zealand Police

In April 2014, Mike was appointed as Commissioner of New Zealand Police. Leading 13,500 police and civilian staff, he oversaw the delivery of core policing functions:

• crime prevention and maintenance of public order
• response management
• crime investigation and resolution, and
• road policing.

As Commissioner, he also led New Zealand Police’s response to significant incidents including the:

• Kaikoura earthquake
• Christchurch terror attack
• Whakaari White Island eruption, and
• the COVID-19 pandemic.

During his tenure, Mike oversaw the modernisation of the police workforce by securing a 20% uplift in personnel and budget and enhanced diversity through ambitious recruitment targets.

After serving two terms, Mike stepped down as Commissioner in early 2020. He then established and led the operational component of the New Zealand Government’s response to COVID-19.

Receiving the Companion of New Zealand Order of Merit

In 2020, he was elevated to the Companion of New Zealand Order of Merit in recognition of his service.

Since then, Mike has been the owner and director of Bush International Consulting and has lent his expertise and experience to several boards and governance groups.

He has completed the Government Performance Programme at the Harvard Kennedy School of Executive Education, has a Certificate in Company Direction and has completed several leadership programs.