Wairoa’s new Police leader is looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead in a ‘beautiful little town with an undeserved reputation’.
Senior Sergeant Maui Aben has been appointed the new Area Response Manager for Wairoa, Officer in Charge of Wairoa Police Station, as well as the sole-charge rural stations of Kotemāori, Mahia and Tuai.
Maui has been in Police nearly 35 years, the bulk of his career in Gisborne in a variety of general frontline/PST roles including prevention manager, tactical coordinator, custody manager and rural manager. He spent 12 years in Napier before heading to Gisborne and also spent time in Ōtāhuhu in South Auckland.
He’s looking forward to leading a ‘really fired up’ team in the Wairoa area and working with the local community.
Maui is no stranger to the job; he’s been one of those filling in since the middle of last year when Senior Sergeant Tony Bates retired after more than 30 years in the role.
And Maui’s family whakapapa back to Wairoa, his mum was born in Wairoa Hospital and he still has family in Nūhaka.
“When I meet with local community leaders and do my mihi they often say, ‘oh we know your nanny’ or ‘that’s your cousin over there’.
Maui admits Wairoa has some big challenges but says it's a beautiful little town.
“The reputation is driven by gangs and their overt presence in the town. There is only a small number of them, but they have a significant impact on Wairoa’s reputation.”
Last week Police met with Wairoa Mayor Craig Little, local iwi, and other community leaders in the wake of recent gang shootings as a result of gang tensions. The problem is not new, but Maui says there needs to be a change in strategy to address the situation.
“Police are skilled at responding to these incidents. What’s needed is joined up long-term strategies to enable us to achieve different outcomes and that requires working closely with our partners.”
Maui says there are some challenging conversations to be had, but plenty of opportunities as well.