Inspector Herby Ngawhika is the new Rotora Police area commander. Photo / Andrew Warner
Inspector Herby Ngawhika is the new Rotora Police area commander. Photo / Andrew Warner
Rotorua’s new police boss says he wants police to focus on community safety, being visible and keeping in touch with locals.
Inspector Herby Ngawhika is Rotorua-born and bred, a hearty and humble Te Arawa leader, loves his rugby, and is said to already have the respect of local staff - attributes which local leaders say make him the perfect choice to lead Rotorua while it faces social challenges.
Ngawhika is the new Rotorua Police Area Commander, and was officially handed over to the role with a Pōhiri at Rotowhio Marae at Te Puia yesterday.
Inspector Herby Ngawhika is brought on to Rotowhio Marae by his family and friends. Photo / Andrew Warner
“I’m not going to be making big statements about how we’ll do this and that. I will give a commitment though, that our staff will be working as hard as we can,” Ngawhika told those at his celebration.
He said his main commitment to the community was safety.
“That is increased visibility around the town. That’s a commitment I’ve already made... We have sort of lost touch a bit with our communities. And that’s through various things. Covid has had a big impact and increased our demand. We know what is going on at the moment with our social challenges, but we need to get back in touch with what our community [is] wanting and what our community expects.”
He said Rotorua police had a good mix of young and enthusiastic constables and seasoned officers, and he saw it as his role to let them achieve.
“What I would like to ask of my staff is - yes, at times we have to make hard decisions. We have to arrest people and lock them up for serious things. But my challenge to you, and this is something I will be seeking, is that we will treat them with humility. We will treat everyone with humility - treat them how you would like your mother and father treated. Treat them as if their mana is still intact, regardless of what it’s for.”
Ngawhika takes over from Superintendent Phil Taikato, who is now working at Police National Headquarters as the Māori and Community Partnerships director. Ngawhika paid tribute to his ”amazing work” leading and working with the Rotorua community in the past few years.
Deputy Commissioner Wallace Haumaha. Photo / Andrew Warner
Taikato was at yesterday’s celebration, along with Deputy Commissioner Wallace Haumaha, Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers, Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson, Bay of Plenty police staff, iwi, community leaders, whānau and friends.
Ngawhika paid tribute to the area commanders he had worked with before - including Ray Sutton, Bruce Horne, Anaru Pewhairangi and Taikato, as well as other police and community leaders he had worked with and learned from, including Superintendent Warwick Morehu, Haumaha, Fire and Emergency NZ deputy chief executive Piki Thomas, former policeman-turned-professional rugby coach Clayton McMillan, and Rotorua Boys’ High School principal Chris Grinter.
Superintendent Warwick Morehu (left) and Inspector Herby Ngawhika. Photo / Andrew Warner
He said Morehu gave their group of friends a model to aspire to with his achievements in the police and representative rugby, and Haumaha had pushed kaupapa Māori within the police, and for a long time - since the start on his own tenure.
Ngawhika thanked his wife of 29 years, Lana, whom he described as his constant supporter.
Ngawhika has spent his two decades in the police, mostly in Rotorua, working on the front line and as a detective in CIB.
A haka for Rotorua’s new area commander, Inspector Herby Ngawhika. Photo / Andrew Warner
He said he never set out to be an area commander, with his main career goal simply to do the best job he could.
He was promoted to Taupō, and he thought he’d end up staying there, before being promoted again to return to Rotorua as a detective sergeant - again thinking that would be where his career would settle.
“One day, I got called into the area commander’s office, and got told to stop cruising and get off my backside and do some exams.”
He was then moved into the role of Bay of Plenty police Māori responsiveness team manager - with his first day on the job when Whakaari/White Island erupted, killing 22 people on December 9, 2019. That was followed by two years of pandemic work, including “checkpoints that everyone knows about”. He said he had to think differently in his role to get results.
Inside Rotowhio Marae at Te Puia. Photo / Andrew Warner
Ngāti Whakaue kaumātua Monty Morrison told the Rotorua Daily Post after the celebration that appointing Ngawhika to lead Rotorua police at this time was a decision that was “the best it could be”.
“We have got someone who is our own in charge of an important role within our community a time like this. He has made community policing a priority, and that is something to look forward to. This is tremendous for us as Te Arawa to sit alongside him to ensure he achieves those goals.”
Rotorua Boys’ High School principal Chris Grinter said after the celebration it had been an honour to work with Ngawhika in his current role as the school’s board’s presiding member (formerly known as board chairman).
“It is a wonderful acknowledgement of a really outstanding, humble, strong person in our community. We value his leadership style and are really proud of him.”
Bay of Plenty district commander Superintendent Tim Anderson said Ngawhika had key networks and relationships across the community and had the respect of the staff.
“He is a humble leader who prefers to let his actions do the talking... He’s the right person to lead Rotorua at this time.”
