Police push for Maori recruits at Te Matatini

Cops singing and dancing on stage may be a sight rarely seen, but that's exactly what happened when Police attended the national Kapa Haka festival, Te Matatini, in Rotorua over the weekend.

Police's mission was to provide general reassurance and inspire more young Maori to become a cop. The Rotorua event was a resounding success, with 41 Kapa Haka from around New Zealand and Australia and over 20,000 spectators celebrating the best of Maori culture.

Police set up their own stage to entertain spectators and provide information about a career.

To get the crowds involved police hosted activities such as on-stage press-up competitions, dance-offs, karaoke and Police trivia.

The intensity stepped up when Sergeant Darren-Leigh Paki challenged the NZ Fire Service and the NZ Army to an onstage press-up competition, complete with his 10kg of Police body armour.

While the results for the nation's strongest service remain inconclusive, the overall effort was well worth it.

Over 160 people registered their interest to find out more about a Police career.
Superintendent Wally Haumaha, General Manager of M?ori, Pacific and Ethnic Services (MPES) was impressed with the spirit of the crowd, with no arrests recorded at all over the four day event.

Superintendent Wallace Haumaha says “Our new Turning of the Tide strategy is about Police working in partnership with all Iwi to help prevent crime and victimisation in their communities.

This event was an example of how to police in an engaging, preventative and culturally appreciative manner. A big part of Police’s future success rests on recruiting more young Maori leaders and in doing so, increasing the cultural competencies in our workforce."

People interesting in finding out more about a Police career can go to www.newcops.co.nz

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