Police’s Maritime Units played a key role in the policing operation supporting the Tuia 250 commemorative voyage around Aotearoa, which started in October and ran thrugh to the end of 2019.
There were a lot of unknowns: How many boats would turn out at events? Would there be protest action on the water? What would the weather do?
The Tuia 250 voyage was one of the events commemorating the first meetings between Māori and Europeans 250 years ago and protests were expected over the presence of the replica of Captain Cook’s ship Endeavour.
Maritime staff provided expertise to facilitate safety on the water. The Wellington unit attended the national launch events in Gisborne and provided support points south; their Auckland counterparts covered the City of Sails and points north.
“We had to be very cautious,” says Senior Sergeant Dave ‘Tex’ Houston, O/C Wellington Maritime Unit. “We weren’t sure what we would be dealing with in the beginning.
“The threats first received around the commemoration were taken seriously. They were quite concerning. We had to make sure those threats about action on the water didn’t happen.”
The Maritime Units were involved in the security and safety of the flotilla while in port and while travelling between ports. They also had a key role in the commemorative launch event held in Gisborne.
At times the police launches provided transport or a floating platform for other Police groups, such as the Special Tactics Group, Police National Dive Squad, iwi liaison officers or forensic photographers. At others, representatives of other agencies, such as the Harbour Master, were on board.
There was lots of weather-watching. “We had to liaise with the flotilla organisers around the risks weather-wise,” says Tex. “I’ve been involved in numerous rescues of waka over the years and I know what can happen when a big southerly hits. And we had weather windows to work with to get our boats to Gisborne for the main events and to other locations around the country – as well as to get the flotilla safely to ports.”
Every day they were assessing risks and threats. Did they need to have a boat following the flotilla? If the situation changed, could they get assets there quickly?
“In the beginning you could sense the tension and that it could go either way. But we had prepared well and the community got the sense that we were there to provide safety for everyone.”
A lot of work went on in the weeks before the arrival of the flotilla in Gisborne.
Eastern District staff took the lead, working with iwi and other community groups. This engagement and intel gathering was crucial to the delivery of a successful launch – and setting the tone for the rest of Tuia 250.
Maritime staff were involved in pre-planning with the Gisborne team. Trips were made to Gisborne to check out the port, meet the Harbour Master and Coastguard and attend planning meetings with community groups including iwi leaders.
“We had a desktop exercise on how things would pan out and how to deal with potential incidents," says Tex. "That was really beneficial, particularly in establishing the connections – I knew who I would be dealing with and they knew they could rely on us in the maritime space.
“The sea is a place the public have free access to, and it’s not a confined space. A big patch of water is hard to police. Our role was to make sure everyone was safe within that space – we had to front up and use our expertise. “
An open day when the public was able to board the Endeavour and other vessels - including the Lady Liz - made for a great opportunity for community engagement.
“The Maritime Unit was critical to the whole exercise,” says Inspector Nic Brown, Manager Command and Emergency – Response and Operations, who managed Operation Tuia 250 at the national level.
“The intelligence picture was changing fairly frequently for Gisborne and the Maritime Unit needed to be really agile and adaptable in terms of how to best facilitate the event – and the rest of the voyage around New Zealand.”
Nic says this was the biggest event that the Auckland and Wellington Maritime Units had been involved in since the last America’s Cup, and was a good refresh for the next America’s Cup, in Auckland in 2021.
Being part of these big events requires a lot of forward planning. “It’s a logistical nightmare,” says Tex.
The rostering and accommodation of staff, organising berths for boats, the transport of resources - Lady Liz, Deodar III and the RHIBs - to the locations, and the vagaries of the weather were just some of the variables that needed factoring in.
Contingencies needed to be in place for BAU in Auckland and Wellington Districts while the boats were out of port, and things like boat maintenance needed to be clearly thought through.
“We had to bring the maintenance schedules forward so that we had boats that were fully fit for the jobs expected of them," says Tex. "The Lady Liz was out of service for two weeks while we took it to Picton for maintenance and the RHIBs had to be checked over too. Fitting that in with the normal work schedule and dealing with tradies was somewhat challenging."
It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for those involved – the sight of waka and tall ships travelling our coastline and coming into ports – with a successful policing operation ensuring a safe event for all, thanks in no small part to the Maritime Units.
“It was fantastic to be part of,” says Tex. “At the end of the day Police are the experts at security on land or water and everyone will look to us for that leadership.”