Allannah Awhina outside the Rotorua police station. She starts work as a new police officer on Monday after being top student of RGHS's first police studies course.
She was the top student in the first police studies course at Rotorua Girls' High School four years ago.
And the girl from Murupara gets to walk through the doors of the Rotorua police station for the first time as a constable on Monday, after being the first woman tograduate from that course - and a proud Māori woman at that.
Rotorua Girls' High School and Rotorua Boys' High School were the first secondary schools in New Zealand to offer the police studies course in 2018.
Today, there are 95 schools nationwide offering the programme, which has a curriculum designed to give students a taste of what life as a police officer will be like.
Allannah Awhina-Tapara has realised her dream of becoming a police officer thanks to a course at Rotorua Girls' High School four years ago. Photo / Andrew Warner
"After seeing things in my community it was a motivation in my life and made me realise I wanted to work towards something that's achievable, and if I put in the hard mahi I could do it."
She said coming from a small community like Murupara, it was easy for young people to be influenced by those around them and sadly not everyone made good choices.
"Things such as gangs, but there's always a positive side to a community as well."
She intends to be that role model who shows how good things can happen if you set your mind to it. Community policing is in her heart and she hopes one day to return to work in Murupara.
"I want people to know that Murupara is a good place."
When Awhina-Tapara finished secondary school clutching the top student prize from the police studies course, she secured a job at the Rotorua police station.
With her eye firmly on the prize, she worked for two and a half years as a frontline station support officer, carrying out duties including working on the front counter taking inquiries, building prosecution files and doing data entry.
Although she could have gone straight to Police College, she wanted to get some life experience behind her before stepping into the blue uniform.
Her 16 weeks at Police College started in November last year via correspondence due to Covid-19 restrictions and she headed to Police College in January to finish the remainder of her studies.
With Māori being her first language, she admitted she found the study hard - as well as her surroundings, given she was the only Māori woman on her wing.
Rotorua Girls' High School teacher Carolyn Katu with first police studies female graduate Allannah Awhina-Tapara. Photo / Supplied
Rotorua Girls' High School police studies teacher Carolyn Katu said she was "incredibly proud" of Awhina-Tapara and it was good for students to see "amazing role models like Allannah" leading the way.
"It goes to show that if you want something bad enough you will move mountains to make it happen and Allannah knew back in 2018 this was what she wanted to do.
"In my 22 years of teaching this has to be one of the highlights of my career."
She acknowledged former Rotorua police area commander Anaru Pewhairangi for his vision in bringing the course to Rotorua, mentors Inspector Nicky Cooney and Senior Sergeant Graeme Hill and Rotorua Boys' High School police studies teacher Hamish Lockwood.
For Awhina-Tapara, as the clock ticks down to her first day on the job, she admits she's bursting with excitement.
"I'm really excited. I can't believe I'm going to be a constable."
