The pressure is on Warwick Morehu to make a difference.
Superintendent Warwick Morehu, of Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu, and Ngāti Whaoa, has been welcomed into his role as training director of the Royal New Zealand Police College. Morehu is a well-known figure in Māoridom through his many years as a kapa haka performer and is also a well-established actor. But his position at the Police College could be his most important role yet.
"Our job is not an eight-to-five job," he says. "This job is 24/7 because we know, when our people need us they can call, and we're expected to answer."
For more than 30 years Morehu has been a police officer and was instrumental in bringing to an end a dramatic Kawerau siege in 2016. But today he has just as big a job training the next generation of police officers.
Building whanaungatanga
'It's pressure we are used to, being a Māori officer and being a Māori leader within police. With police there are expectations that are put on us by our people and by our organisation."
According to NZ Police deputy commissioner Wally Haumaha it's important new recruits understand the relationship between Māori and the police. He also says he and Morehu represent the New Zealand police's commitment to Māori.
"The strength of our people, particularly around tribal groups, is going from strength to strength, and we need to work closely alongside it. So it was a big factor in terms of Warwick coming into this position, around cultural leadership and the skills that he brings.
"But we've also put senior Māori policing officers across 12 policing districts. They will be part of our succession planning and we're bringing them through into these positions to take over."
Police training takes 16 weeks to complete. Morehu is responsible for developing, planning, and implementing training programmes within the Royal New Zealand Police College, and Morehu says embedding a sense of Māori culture will be one of the main aims. So the challenge is on for Morehu to make a difference for police and Māoridom.
"One of the things we want to build on further here in the college is that whanaungatanga," he says. "We want to have that. We know we love our singing. You know we love our haka, and that needs to be a part of the fabric of our college and our people."