Lauren has had a very interesting and rewarding time with her big game fishing hobby.
“I have a very large passion for game fishing. I have been catching and tagging sharks since I was 13 -the largest being 210kgs. I am a New Zealand Women’s record holder for the largest short bill spearfish caught in NZ (and have held this title since 2019). I also held the title for the most gamefish caught by a female junior angler in 2017. I also hold the title of 1000th Marlin caught for our boat.”
In 2023 Lauren took that passion and enthusiasm she showed for game fishing and applied it to her dream career “Clicking the ‘submit application’ button (for my police recruit application) at a young age was daunting, I would tell everyone I was thinking about applying or I was getting fit to apply but it took me about a year of saying it until I actually did. I was very nervous about not being taken seriously and had many underlying thoughts that I didn’t have the life experience that the police look for during the application process because of my age. My best advice is once you’ve hit that button, put 100% into everything – your running, your study, your interview, and your scope.
The thought that stuck with me is, if I’m here in this process there is someone who isn’t, who wants this even more than I do. The challenge starts when you open that browser, so be ready and have a supportive group of people that are willing to help you across the finish line. Rely on your friends, talk about the process with them, get excited about the little things and just take the leap. You’re doing this for you.”
Laura was one of 51 officers to graduate in late February 2024.
