Female policing event coming to Bay

CELEBRATING: Eastern District Commander Superintendent Sandra Venables will take part in this week's torch relay to mark 75 Years of Women in Policing. PHOTO FILE

The Police staff torch relay to mark 75 Years of Women in Policing is on its way around New Zealand and will arrive in Hawke's Bay this week.

The two halves of the illuminated torch, which represents the New Zealand Police tohu, started a tour of the 12 policing districts on June 24 simultaneously in Cape Reinga and Bluff.

One half is travelling up the South Island and another is travelling down the North Island, stopping off for events in a number of towns and cities along the way.

A torch half arrives in Tairawhiti today and will be passed through the region by women Police staff carrying out an array of special activities before heading to Hawke's Bay to do the same thing on Friday.

Eastern District Commander Superintendent Sandra Venables says this is a chance for the region to celebrate what New Zealand Police had achieved in encouraging diversity throughout the organisation.

"As a female police officer I am proud to stand alongside all the officers who serve their communities in the Eastern District to mark this significant milestone."

The relay starts its time in the Eastern Police District tomorrow.

On Thursday the torch will then be taken to Wairoa, where police will hold a sausage sizzle, free to the community, along the river by the lighthouse on Marine Parade from midday.

Everyone is invited to join in this celebration. The wet weather venue is the St Mark's Presbyterian Church on Queen St opposite the Wairoa Council.

On Friday the torch half will be handed over from the Tairawhiti police team at Bay View.
It will then be run along the coast to the Napier Sound Shell on the Marine Parade by police staff and members of their families.

Once there the Napier Blue Light committee will provide a morning tea around 10.30am and the torch will be blessed by local iwi before speeches and photos. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

From there it will travel in relay by foot, bike and horseback through orchards and local vineyards to the top of Te Mata Peak where photos will be taken at 1pm.

The torch will then be abseiled off the peak into the valley below where the torch journey will continue by mountain bike into Havelock North.

The final torch hand over will be in Havelock North where runners and walkers will travel via cycle ways into the Hastings CBD to Albert Park where a number of static displays will be set up along with other service agencies.

A local kapa haka group will entertain guests while the Hastings Blue Light committee fire up their barbecue from 3pm.

The following day the torch will make its way south to Waipawa and Waipukurau before heading to Dannevirke.