Old police body armour destined for the rubbish has been repurposed into products such as a sunglasses case as part of a university project.
Students from Massey University's School of Design in Wellington were tasked by the police with finding a new purpose for the out-of-warranty stab-resistant body armour.
"The standard practice globally for getting rid of armour plate is to dig a hole and bury it," Inspector Geoff Logan revealed.
"We've got three tonnes of Kevlar armour awaiting disposal, so we thought 'There has to be a better way'."
Each given two hard armour plates and two sets of soft armour the third year industrial design students got to work giving the armour new life.
After six weeks of researching, designing and building items, the students' creations are now on display at Police National Headquarters. An exhibition of smaller pieces will then be there for a few days. From September 1 the items will be on display at Massey University.
The old armour has been turned into everything from a sunglasses case, to furniture, to a police-issue first aid kit.
Other creations include a collapsible road cone, a patient carrier for first responders and a seatbelt cutting/glass-breaking tool.
"The students took the project and the materials into places we just weren't expecting," Massey University's Lyn Garrett said.
Previous collaborations between the university and the police resulted in a new dog pod for police vehicles and a uniform hijab for police women.
As a part of reducing waste from redundant uniforms and equipment", Logan said police buttons have been re-used and retired police jerseys have been repurposed into blankets.
Other items such as used — but still usable — boots, forage caps and high-vis gear is donated to police services in the Pacific.
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