It was a humbling moment for Superintendent Dion Bennett, cloaked in the Central District Police korowai, as the karanga rang out at the pōwhiri welcoming him into his new role as Central District Commander.
Whānau, colleagues, friends and invited guests were there to support and welcome Dion (Ngāti Paoa and Ngāti Hako) at Taiporohenui Marae in Hāwera on Monday.
The pōwhiri was hosted by local iwi Ngāti Ruanui and included kaumātua, hau kāinga (people of the marae) and rangatahi who all contributed to the success of the day.
Dion’s family, including his wife and their three children, proudly supported him along with Central District staff and many others.
A delegation led by Wellington District Commander Superintendent Corrie Parnell, Inspectors Renee Perkins and Rob Rutene, along with MPES and STG staff, joined Deputy Chief Executive Iwi and Communities Pieri Munro, Assistant Commissioner Sandra Venables, Waikato District Commander Bruce Bird and Director Tāmaki Makaurau Partnerships Superintendent Scott Gemmell for this important event.
After several speeches from Police staff, kaumātua and iwi representatives, it was Dion’s turn to speak.
“To everyone who has come to support my whānau and I please know that it’s not lost on me – we are so grateful for your maanakitanga and aroha,” he said.
“I also want to take this opportunity to thank our District Māori Responsiveness Manager Inspector Cliff Brown and his MPES team for all their mahi with organising the pōwhiri.
“Never did I expect I’d be the subject of a pōwhiri when I joined Police.
“I’ve always been motivated and determined to do a job well; not what job will get me to the next step.
“One of the best pieces of advice I have received came from former Deputy Commissioner Wally Haumaha: it is not what comes out of your mouth that matters but what comes out of your manawa [heart].
“Standing here today is a culmination of many people who have supported me throughout my career.
“I’m thankful for my number one support, my wife and our children – they’ve made sacrifices to support me and their support has been unconditional and I’m forever grateful for that.”
As Dion spoke, he held a beautifully carved taonga - a waka paddle, Te Mokopuna O Paoa ki Te Awa Kairangi, commissioned by Wellington MPES District Responsiveness Advisor Asher Hauwaho, carved by his brother Sam, and gifted to him by Te Āti Awa iwi in his previous role as Te Awa Kairangi Hutt Valley Area Commander.
“When I was presented with this taonga it came with a challenge – the challenge of leadership, to find what is right and what needs to be done," said Dion. "This is a uniting feature of the work we do as police.
“It’s about working in partnership to support each and understanding what each of us are trying to achieve to best support our whānau and communities – we’re here to help and we want to help.
“I also realise that I stand here and that I am responsible for our relationships. In my interview for this role I was asked a question by Kaumātua Wiremu Te Awe Awe: What do you do for Maori?
“What I believe he was asking was will you come to our marae and korero with us? The answer is yes, we might not agree all the time but that’s the responsibility of leadership.”
Dion also had a message for the rangatahi who attended the pōwhiri.
“I never ever expected I’d be standing here but this is where curiosity has landed me,” he said.
“Be curious about something, anything, try hard and one day maybe you’ll be standing here at a pōwhiri for you.
“I’m a firm believer in leading for the future not for the past; we must learn from the past but don’t lean on it - keep evolving or become obsolete.
“I also believe that if you have a healthy robust culture that means you have good leaders – a good culture creates good leaders, and they drive it.”
The group outside the wharenui.
About Dion
Dion has been a member of New Zealand Police for 27 years.
After graduating with Recruit Wing 175 in 1997, Dion spent 15 years in Hamilton before moving to Wellington. He has worked in various local and national roles.
In 2018, Dion was appointed to the role of Māori Responsiveness Manager for Wellington District – a role which is vital to engagement between Police and our diverse communities.
In late 2020, Dion 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 coordinated and planned approach to supporting Mana Whenua and all iwi residing within the area during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After this, Dion relieved as Northland District Commander for nine months, during which time one of many highlights was overseeing Police support for Waitangi celebrations.
After his Northland stint, Dion was appointed as Director of the Major Operations Group and New Zealand Police Contingent Commander for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) being hosted in Apia, Samoa, in October.
Dion began his role as Central District Commander last month.