Inspector Brendon Gibson, Wellington, QSM, for services to the New Zealand Police and the community
Inspector Brendon Gibson has been a member of the New Zealand Police for 35 years and has been the National Coordinator of Police Dogs since 2002. He was instrumental in building the New Zealand Police Dog Training Section into an internationally recognised centre of operational and breeding excellence. He established a Dog Working Group, which meets quarterly, with the aim of fostering global best practice. He instituted a professional development programme and career structure for dog handlers and supported it with the New Zealand Police Dog Charitable Trust. Under his guidance, a Breeding Services Panel was set up in 2000 with veterinarians from Massey University, to find the best available dog breeding material from international sources and create a database to record breeding lines in New Zealand. Inspector Gibson was responsible for establishing the Pacific Patrol Dog Programme in 2005, which continues to provide trained dogs and handlers to Pacific nations, in conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.