New Central District police commander to be formally welcomed in Hāwera

Superintendent Dion Bennett (Ngati Paoa and Ngati Hako) is the new Central District police commander.

A pōwhiri will be held next week to welcome the new Central District police commander.

Superintendent Dion Bennett (Ngāti Paoa and Ngāti Hako), who began his role as Central District commander last month, will be formally welcomed at Taiporohenui Marae in Hāwera on Monday, August 26.

One of the largest police districts, Central has more than 800 police staff working from 44 locations and covers a geographical area that stretches from the North Taranaki Bight, across to Ruapehu, south to Ōtaki and across to the Tararua ranges. The district is split into three areas – Manawatū, Whanganui-Ruapehu and Taranaki.

Bennett has been a member of the New Zealand police for 27 years. He is Hauraki born and bred, and he and his wife have three children.

After graduating with Recruit Wing 175 in 1997, Bennett spent 15 years in Hamilton before moving to Wellington. He has worked in local and national roles including CIB, Special Tactics Group and the Armed Offenders Squad.

In 2018, he was appointed Māori responsiveness manager for Wellington District.

In late 2020, Bennett took up the role of Te Awa Kairangi Hutt Valley area commander. Two key pieces of work that he is proud of during his time in this position were leading a review of critical incident procedures, and collaborating with Te Āti Awa on Te Taupā Ruru – a co-ordinated and planned approach to supporting Mana Whenua and all iwi who reside within the area during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Following this role, Bennett relieved as the Northland District Commander for nine months, with one of his highlights overseeing police support for Waitangi celebrations.

After his Northland stint, he was appointed director of the Major Operations Group and the New Zealand Police Contingent Commander for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) being hosted in Apia, Samoa, in October this year.

“An enduring priority for Dion throughout all his roles is ensuring police interactions with everyone they engage with are mana-enhancing,” a police statement said.

“He believes a happy, healthy and robust culture is key to preventing crime and harm. Dion has a strong commitment to strengthening relationships and partnerships that ultimately reduce the input into the justice sector pipeline, making New Zealand the safest country.”