They can already be considered pioneers of Southern policing but this mother and daughter say "there is still ground to be broken''.
Southern district operations manager Inspector Amelia Steel (42) and her mother Janis Steel (63), a former Dunedin police constable, agreed reaching the 75th anniversary of women in New Zealand policing was a milestone.
The stigma and prejudice associated with women in policing had lessened since the first 10 women went into police training in 1941, so marking 75 years was important, Mrs Steel said.
She was a police constable in Dunedin in 1973.
"It's an awful long time. Things have changed. It's a different age as far as the tools we have to do our work.
"We had a handbag and a pair of handcuffs,'' she said.
Mrs Steel joined the police after her second year of university for something different and challenging.
She was one of just seven women out of about 100 recruits in her wing that completed three months training at Trentham.
"It was probably quite different, in the sense that the men still tended to protect the female members.''
She recalled a time where her male superior told her to "stay in the car'' while he dealt with an incident.
"The men would support you, by and large.''
The continued growth of numbers of women in police was "positive'', she said.
"I think the community finds it positive, too.''
Marriage to a police officer and five children, including Amelia, meant Mrs Steel did not return to policing after her year in blue.
But her influence certainly rubbed off on one of her daughters.
Insp Steel is one of only two women inspectors in the Southern district, along with district road policing Inspector Tania Baron.
There were also four female senior sergeants and six sergeants.
"When you look at where women rank across the sector, it's pretty light at the top,'' Insp Steel said.
"[Now] there's a real focus for the organisation to reflect the community it serves ... valuing diversity.
"The aspirational goal is to see New Zealand police have a 50-50 gender split [and] there's plenty of great men in this organisation supporting the development of women.''
As of April 30 this year, 32.3% of police officers in New Zealand were female. The figure was 18.9% in the Southern district.
The flexibility, development and support received for policewomen had "come a long way'' in the 19 years Insp Steel had been a sworn officer.
She was able to "juggle'' having a husband and two children with a high-ranking police role.
"Ultimately ... [you] just realise how far women have come.''
Friday marked the start of the 75th anniversary celebrations with a torch relay beginning simultaneously from Bluff and Cape Reinga.
One torch will travel up the South Island and another will travel through the North Island stopping for events to raise awareness of women in policing.
The relay will culminate on August 1, when the two halves of the torch will be joined at a national parade in Wellington.
Torch on tour
Friday
Bluff-Invercargill
Monday
Invercargill-Riverton-Tuatapere-Otautau-Winton-Lumsden
Tuesday
Lumsden-Gore-Te Anau
Thursday
Te Anau-Kingston-Queenstown
Friday
Queenstown-Frankton-Arrowtown-Wanaka
Sunday, July 3
Wanaka-Alexandra-Ranfurly-Middlemarch
Monday, July 4
Middlemarch-Dunedin
Tuesday, July 5
Dunedin-Port Chalmers-Oamaru
Friday, July 8
Oamaru-Omarama
