At a special event held at the Royal New Zealand Police College yesterday afternoon (26 August), Police staff were awarded fellowships from the Woolf Fisher Trust in recognition of their ongoing dedication and outstanding contributions to New Zealand Police.
“These Woolf Fisher Police Fellowships showcase the breadth of excellence within our organisation and highlight the outstanding contributions our staff make to ensure people feel safe and are safe,” says Commissioner of Police Mike Bush.
“I’m thrilled to see this year’s recipients coming from all corners of the country and a variety of disciplines within Police – both constabulary and non-constabulary.
“While each fellow is recognised for something different, what they all have in common is their commitment to Policing and, by extension, the communities they serve.”
The 2020 fellows celebrated their honour with Commissioner Bush, family members and Police colleagues, as well as Sir Noel Robinson, chairman of the Woolf Fisher Trust.
“The thing that gets me is the diversity among the recipients,” says Sir Noel Robinson. “Everyone has quite a different story [and] they all lead to making New Zealand a safer place.
“I think this is a very good partnership which will go on for many years.”
Each fellow was nominated by their Police peers and will receive funding to travel abroad for up to six or eight weeks. The trip includes time to holiday and undertake a pre-agreed programme of study, and has provisions for a partner to accompany.
The Woolf Fisher Trust established the Police Fellowship programme in 2017 and has awarded 45 fellowships to date. Previous fellows have used the funding to embark on a range of opportunities, including learning from international jurisdictions about family harm prevention, school lockdown procedures, wellbeing for first responders, crisis negotiation and indigenous communities to name a few.
2020 Woolf Fisher Police Fellowship awards recipients:
Ingrid Adamczyk, RNZPC
Senior Constable Garry Boles, Counties Manukau
Senior Constable Michael Chelley, Bay of Plenty
Senior Constable Duanne Deere, Auckland City
Senior Sergeant Ross Ellwood, Counties Manukau
Anne Hutchinson, Northland
Detective Inspector Rhys Johnston*, Northland
Maura Long, Canterbury
Sergeant Bridget Martin, Southern
Julie Mathews, PNHQ
Gary Mitchell, Wellington
Senior Constable John Tangaere QSM, PNHQ
Senior Constable Bryan Ward QSM, Waitematā
Inspector Virginia Welch, PNHQ
Inspector Roderick Whiu, Northland
* Detective Inspector Johnston was not present at the ceremony and will receive his award on 10 September.
As pictured - The 2020 Fellows: (Back row from left) Senior Sergeant Ross Ellwood, Inspector Virginia Welch, Anne Hutchinson, Senior Constable Garry Boles, Senior Constable Duanne Deere, Senior Constable John Tangaere, Inspector Roderick Whiu, Senior Constable Michael Chelley; (front row from left) Gary Mitchell, Ingrid Adamczyk, Senior Constable Bryan Ward, Sir Noel Robinson, Commissioner of Police Mike Bush, Sergeant Bridget Martin, Julie Mathews, Maura Long; (absent) Detective Inspector Rhys Johnston.
About Sir Woolf Fisher and the Woolf Fisher Trust
Sir Woolf Fisher (1912-1975) was the co-founder of Fisher & Paykel and foundation Chair of New Zealand Steel. In 1964, Woolf Fisher was knighted for his outstanding contribution to industry and education in New Zealand.
Sir Woolf was passionate about education and, in 1960, established the Woolf Fisher Trust to fund overseas fellowships for deserving New Zealand principals and teachers. This was designed to further particular subject knowledge, learn from international best practice and enrich education in New Zealand. Since it started, over 1200 Woolf Fisher Fellowships have been awarded to recipients and their partners.
Sir Noel Robinson, Sir Woolf’s nephew, is the chair of the Woolf Fisher Family Foundation, the Woolf Fisher Trust and the Sir Woolf Fisher Charitable Trust.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
