Superintendent Paul Basham will return to the role of Southern District Area Commander on Monday, after a six-month secondment at Police National Headquarters in Wellington.
He had been serving as Assistant Commissioner: Performance.
He was appointed the South's top cop in 2016, after a four-year stint as area commander for Kapiti Mana in the Wellington district.
Inspector Darryl Sweeney, who took on the southern role in his absence, will return to Canterbury.
Insp Sweeney said he believed the South was "the safest place in New Zealand".
He had been impressed with how communities had supported each other during the Covid-19 restrictions.
"It’s been a pleasure policing down here. I hope to return and complete that journey some time in the future.
"I head back up to Christchurch next week to assist with policing up there under Alert Level 4.''
