E tū ki te kei o te waka, kia pakia koe e ngā ngaru o te wā"

Stand at the stern of the canoe and feel the spray of the future biting at your face

I tū te pōwhiri o te Tari Pirihimana ki Waitaha, me te hapori whānui ki tētahi Pirihimana Kōmihana hou ko Hirone Waretini tōna ingoa.

Ko tēnei tūranga, te Pou Whirinaki (Māori Responsiveness Manager), te tuatahi mō te rohe nei.

Canterbury Police joined with members of the community yesterday to welcome Canterbury’s first Maori Responsiveness Manager, Inspector Hirone Waretini, in a powhiri held at Rehua Marae in St Albans.

Superintendent John Price says Inspector Waretini will have responsibility for Canterbury Police Maori, Pacific and Ethnic Services Group (MPES). “This appointment exemplifies both our commitment to Maori and the treaty and building strong relationships with iwi and our communities to reduce Maori offending and victimisation.”

“In his 20th year of service Inspector Waretini is held in very high regard by New Zealand Police and iwi. He has held a variety of roles in Counties Manukau, Wellington, Auckland and Eastern District and will be an asset to Canterbury Police and our community. We are very pleased to welcome him into the team.”

Inspector Waretini moves to Canterbury from Eastern District which is home to the iwis of Ngati Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou and the Iwi that make up Te Runanga o Turanganui a Kiwa. This region also has the highest percentage of Maori of any region in New Zealand of around 40-50%.

The percentage of Maori in Canterbury is only around 7.5-8% and Ngai Tahu, the principal iwi in Canterbury, combines three groups Kai Tahu, Waitaha and Kati Mamoe. Ngai Tahu has the largest tribal area in New Zealand extending from Kaikoura to Stewart Island and the West Coast.

However apprehensions of Maori in Canterbury sit at 25% of the total and the current prison population in Canterbury is over 50%.

“Very clearly that’s a disparity and provides a really identifiable place from which to commence our journey.”

Inspector Waretini says his family is built on service. “My father was a soldier and my mother a nurse in the British Army. Both of my brothers work for Police and they are the reason I joined 20 years ago. This new role in Canterbury is very exciting as no-one has held the role before so the timing is great. For the first few months I’ll be looking at what is happening in Canterbury and speaking to colleagues and the community to identify opportunities for improvement.”

“The challenge is to ensure that children born this year can achieve their full potential and work out how Police can help achieve this. We need to reduce the percentage of Maori that find their way into the court system, particularly the 18-25 year olds. A lot of Maori have moved away from their families to work on the rebuild following the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011.”

“When Police, iwi and Maori work together we can ensure our whanau and communities are strong, resilient and safe for everyone.”

ENDS

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