Nō te wehenga o Warwick Morehu i Te Kura Pirihimana, koni atu i te toru tekau tau ki muri, i tīmata ai tōna mahi hei pirihimana hou ki Rotorua. I tēnei wiki, kua hoki mai, kua pōwhiritia hei Hupiritene Morehu - te Kaiwhakahaere Whakangungu hou ki Te Kura Kāreti o Te Karauna mō Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa.
He uri a Warwick nō ngā iwi maha o Te Arawa, heoi, he hononga anō ōna i te taha o tōna pāpā ki a Ngāti Tahu me Ngāti Whaoa, nō tōna kuia a Whata henare, te tamāhine a Herapeka. He ngākaunui tōna mō Te Reo me ōna tikanga, ā, ko tāna, he haerenga kāore anō kia oti.
Nō muri mai i ngā tau e ono hei toihau o Te Rohe o Taupō, ko tā Warwick, he uaua mōna kia wehe mai i Te Waiariki, engari e mōhiotia ana koinei te whakataunga tika, nā te mea kua whiwhi tūranga ā-motu tōna makau a Leanne ki Ara Poutama Aotearoa, ki Pōneke, ā, e manahau ana rātou mō ngā whiwhinga kei mua i te aroaro.
“Nōku ka titiro atu ki Te Kura Pirihimana, ko te whiwhinga mōku, kia whakamana i te haere whakamua mō te motu katoa. Ko te mahi tahi anō hoki me ō mātou mema hou kia whāngai atu ki a rātou ngā mea e hiahia nuitia e tutuki pai ai ā rātou mahi ki ngā rohe - inā te nui o ngā whiwhinga.
“E whakaaro ana au e pērā ana te tūranga hou ki RNZPC i te whakahaere o te rohe 13 i te motu.”
I pōwhiritia a Warwick ki te tūranga hou i tēnei wiki, ā, i tae ā-tinana Te Kōmihana me te Minita o Ngā Pirihimana, ētahi mema o Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Pou Pirihimana, kaumātua o Horouta Marae, me ētahi māngai o Ara Poutama Aotearoa anō hoki.
Ko tā Kōmihana Andrew Coster: “E Warwick, tēnā koe i tō whakaae mai kia whakakapi i tēnei o ngā tūranga. Ko tā te kaiārahi, he whakakaha, he whakamana, he whakatūturu, he whāngai atu ki ō rātou tangata tērā e hiahiatia ana, e tutuki ai ā rātou mahi. E tautoko mārika ana ahau i a koe e tū ana ki te kei o te waka o Te Kura Pirihimana. I a koe e haere ana i tēnei haerenga, tēnā koa, whakakīngia te waka huia me ngā mea e whai hua ana ki Ngā Pirihimana, te iwi Māori me ō mātou hapori katoa.”
Ahakoa ko tana tino tūranga hei tāriana pou mua, ko tā Warwick, ko te mahi hei Toihau o Te Rohe o Taupō te tūranga i tino para i te huarahi mōna.
“Ko tēnei tūranga o te Toihau Ā-rohe tētahi tūranga i whāinga nuitia e au. Tērā pea, i takaroa te whai o tērā whāinga, nāku kē tērā i whakatakoto. I whakaaro au kua mana taku haerenga, ā, i hari au nōku i tēnei tūranga, engari, ko te whakakī āputa hei Toihau Nui Ā-rohe tērā i huakina anō i a whatu.”
E whaiwhakaaro ana ki te wā i a ia hei Toihau o Te Rohe o Taupō, ko tā Warwick ko ngā tino mea e ngākaunui ana ki a ia, ko te kite i ngā kaimahi e tupu, e whakapakari ana me te “tautoko anō hoki i a rātou ki ngā tūranga kaiārahi”. E mihi ana ia ki ngā kaimahi mīharo i te rohe o Taupō me te rerekētanga kua uhia ki runga i te hapori.
Kua mahi a Warwick ki ngā tūranga maha puta noa i Te Waiariki - mai i ngā mahi pou mua ki te CIB, AOS me te teihana OC anō hoki mō Ōpōtiki me Kawerau - me tētahi wā hei kaiwhakahaere ārai ki roto o Counties Manukau. Ko ēnei wheako katoa ka kawea e ia ki te tūranga hou.
E mōhiotia whānuitia ana ia mō āna whakatutukitanga ki roto o Ngāti Rangiwewehi, tētahi kapa haka nō ngā iwi o Te Arawa, te wāhi i tū ia hei kaitataki tāne. He tino kaiwhutupōro ō mua ia, i ehu ki te kiriata tuarua a Once Were Warriors, ā, ko ia hoki te kanohi o Te Ipu Whutupōro o Te Ao i te tau 1999.
Ko tētahi mea mīharo e maumahara ana ia i tōna ara ā-pirihimana nei, ko te wā i whakamoemititia ia mō tōna hūmārietanga, tōna mana anō hoki i a ia e mahi ana hei Toihau o Te Rohe o Taupō, tērā i porotutuki i tētahi mahi hara, tōna 22-hāora te roanga, ki Onepu, tētahi tāone iti i Te Waiariki. I tū ai tēnei mahi hara i waenganui i tētahi kauhanga tarukino i te tau 2016, te wāhi i pūhia, i whakakinohia ngā pirihimana e whā.
KA MUTU
When Warwick Morehu left Police College more than three decades ago, he was initially posted to Rotorua as a young constable. This week he was welcomed back, but as Superintendent Morehu - new Director of Training at The Royal New Zealand Police College.
Warwick affiliates to many iwi of Te Arawa, however through his father’s side he affiliates to Ngati Tahu and Ngati Whaoa, from kuia Whata Henare, daughter of Herapeka. He is passionate about Te Reo me ona tikanga which is a continuous journey, he says.
After six years as Taupō Area Commander, Warwick says the move out of the Bay of Plenty area is a tough one, but with wife Leanne taking up a national role for the Department of Corrections in Wellington, he knows it is the right move and is excited about the opportunities it presents.
“When I look at the Police College, it’s the opportunity to effect change for the whole motu. It’s working with our newest members to give them what they really need to do the best job in districts – the opportunity there is huge.
“I feel like this new role at the RNZPC is running the 13th district for the motu.”
Warwick was welcomed to the role on Wednesday with a powhiri which included the Commissioner and Minister of Police, members of Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Police Executive, Horouta Marae kaumātua, and Department of Corrections representatives among others.
Commissioner Andrew Coster said: “Warwick, thank you for taking on this role. Leaders are the enablers, making sure their people have what they need in their environment to be great at what they do. You have my full support as you stand at the stern of the Police College waka.
And while you’re on that journey I ask you to keep filling the waka huia with things of value to Police, iwi Māori and all our communities.”
While one of his favourite roles in Police was as a frontline sergeant, Warwick says working as Taupō Area Commander was a role that defined him.
“Being an Area Commander was always something I quietly aspired to. It probably took a bit longer than it should have, more by my design than anything else. I felt like I had completed my journey and I was happy to be in this role, but then relieving in the District Commander role opened my eyes again.”
Reflecting on his time as Taupō Area Commander, Warwick says some of the greatest highlights have been watching staff grow, develop and “being able to support them through to leadership roles”. He acknowledges the amazing staff in the Taupō area and the difference they’ve made to the community.
Warwick has worked in a variety of roles across the Bay – from frontline to CIB, AOS to OC station for both Ōpōtiki and Kawerau – as well as a stint as prevention manager in Counties Manukau. It’s all experience he’ll take into the new role.
He’s known for his successes in Ngati Rangiwewehi, a kapa haka group derived from the federated tribes of Te Arawa where he often performed as the male lead. He is a former top rugby player, appeared in the Once Were Warriors movie sequel and was the face of the 1999 World Cup Rugby campaign.
In one highlight from his police career, he was praised for his calm demeanour and mana while as Taupō police area commander he brought an end to a 22-hour siege in Onepu, a small Bay of Plenty town. The siege took place during a drug operation in 2016 where four police officers were shot and injured.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
