When Gisborne Constable Nicholas Moorhouse graduated from Police College late last year, he received a special gift that was the result of a real Police whānau team effort.
His mother and father, Tairāwhiti Area Manager Investigations Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Moorhouse, presented Nicholas with a bone sculpture, handcrafted especially for him.
The carving has a fern leaf through the middle representing New Zealand Police, with two fronds up either side representing father and son, and the base reflecting new beginnings.
But the significance of the carving to the Eastern District didn’t stop there – the carving was done by Andrew Little, the son of Eastern District Executive Assistant Toni Little. And to further connect everyone, Toni is Mark’s wife’s aunt, so Andrew and Nicholas are effectively cousins.
Mark says it was special to be able to gift the carving to his son and have Toni’s son carve it for him.
Andrew spoke to Mark at length to find out exactly what he wanted to reflect in the carving, coming up with what Mark describes as a magnificent carving that he will be forever grateful for.
"Andrew was able to create a truly personal carving that spoke to the pride and welcome to the Police whānau that I as a police officer and father wanted to give my son," says Mark.
Toni says her son, Andrew, who is based in the Manawatu, did his first bone carving at Lindisfarne College in 1986 and even though he felt he was pretty average at it he never lost interest.
Over the years, Andrew had opportunities to carve but Toni says it wasn't until 2009, when he met ex-Police Sergeant Henry Perenara while playing a game of golf, that his passion for carving was reignited.
Henry had won a gold medal for New Zealand Police at the World Police Games in the USA and started helping Andrew with his golf game and the friendship grew.
"Henry asked him about his interests and he said he liked bone carving and it turned out Henry was a master carver who owned the Maori Arts and Crafts Gallery in Kuku, just out of Levin," says Toni.
Andrew would go there from time to time learning bits and pieces. Henry offered to show him how to make a living from carving and he started learning full-time bone and wood carving.
“The pair would discuss different styles, art forms and sometimes talk well into the night," says Toni. "Henry died in 2014 and his family who owned the shop asked Andrew to take over carving for their shop, which he eventually did from 2018 until now," says Toni.