The Fleet Service Group and New Zealand Police Museum have arranged for four Holden Commodore SV6 highway patrol vehicles to end their working lives at museums in Wānaka, Dunedin, Taranaki and Kāpiti.
Fleet manager, Inspector Brian Yanko, said it will be the "end of an era" for the iconic Holdens.
He said their retirment has created a flurry of interest, with higher-than-normal prices reached when the decommissioned cars have gone to auction.
Yanko said he was contacted by a museum about the possibility of acquiring one of the retired Aussie-built Commodores soon after taking up the fleet manager role in 2020.
"This got me thinking that there would be many past and serving police officers who in the future would definitely love the ability to show younger family members and friends the patrol vehicles they used to drive," he says.
The first of the vehicles is now at the Southward Car Museum at Paraparaumu. The next is due to go to the Hillsborough Car Museum in New Plymouth this weekend, to join a unique collection of Holden cars and memorabilia.
Yanko said museums have expressed particular interest in acquiring one of the coloured patrol cars, first introduced in 2013.
Police Museum director Rowan Carroll has been liaising with the museums, ensuring the paperwork is completed and a Deed of Gift is ready for signing at handover.
Steve and Joy Fabish, who own the Hillsborough museum, were the first to enquire about the Holdens.
"It will be of huge interest to our visitors, who will enjoy being able to get up close and personal with a patrol vehicle without receiving a ticket," said Steve.
