Ko Tāneatua te kāinga o tētahi o ngā papa taunga Pirihimana motuhake katoa o te motu e aro ana ki te hapori.
I whakatuwherahia ōkawatia te Papa Taunga Pirihimana o Tāneatua e te Kōmihana Andrew Coster i te ata nei, i muri iho i te tākina mai o ngā karakia e ngā kaumātua.
I tae atu hoki te Kōmihana Tuarua a Wally Haumaha, ngā kaimahi ā-rohe, me ngā hapori o Tāneatua, Rūātoki me Waimana anō hoki.
He kaupapa i mahi ngātahi ai te papa taunga ki a Ngāi Tūhoe me ētahi atu hoa hapori kia hangaia he whare e whakaaturia ana te hapori.
He papa hiko kōmaru kei te whare, ko te tuarua tēnei o ngā whare pirihimana pēnei i Aotearoa, koia hoki te whare tuatahi kua whai pānui reo Māori i waho atu i te whare.
He whakaatu atu tēnei i te iwi kāinga, inā hoki, kua whai paetara oneone, kua whai papa i hangahoutia nō tētahi wheketere tīhi o mua.
I tahuna te whare o mua ki te ahi i te tau 2018.
Hei tā Kōmihana Coster “ahakoa te pāmamae i taua wā, he āheinga kei roto kia hangaia he wāhi toitū, e aro ana ki te hapori, he wahi mahi pai hoki mō ngā pirihimana e rua ka noho ki konei.
“Ko tēnei whare te taumata mō ngā whakawhanaketanga pai - he wāhi e whakamanawa nei i te mahi ngātahitanga ki te hapori katoa.
“Ka rangona tōna wairua i roto, i waho hoki.
“Ka tumeke pea ngā manuhiri ki te kite kua huri te taupaepae hei matapā pānui, ā, kua wātea te nuinga o te wāhi ki te marea mō ngā hui me ngā kaupapa ā-hapori.
Hei tā Kōmihana Tuarua a Wally Haumaha, he mea ārahi ngā whakatau auaha e tētahi rōpū nō waho, tae rānō ki ngā iwi me ngā hoa hapori.
“He wāhi nui tō te mahi ngātahi ki te rōpū matua e tika ai tēnei kaupapa mō Ngā Pirihimana me te hapori, e hanga wāhi hoki e noho pai ai te katoa.”
Hei tā te Heamana o Te Uru Taumatua a Tāmati Kruger, i kaha tautoko mai a Tūhoe mai i te tīmatanga o te kaupapa.
Hei tāna “ko te hua tēnei o te whakawhanaungatanga i waenganui i a Ngāi Tūhoe me Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa.”
Kei te mata o te papa taunga he toi nā Wharerangi Turnbull, e kīia nei ko Whakakotahi, he toi ahurei i auahahia hei whakaatu i te kotahitanga, te mahi ngātahi, te tīmatanga hou, te hanganga hou, te whai wāhitanga, te onamata, te nāianei, me te anamata o Tāneatua.
KA MUTU
The small Bay of Plenty town of Tāneatua is now home to one of the country’s most unique and community-centred Police bases.
Tāneatua Community Police Base was officially opened by Commissioner Andrew Coster this morning following a blessing by local kaumatua.
Deputy Commissioner Wally Haumaha, local staff and the members of the wider Tāneatua Ruatoki and Waimana communities also attended.
The base, a collaborative project with Ngāi Tūhoe and other key community partners, was designed to better reflect the community it serves.
It is solar powered – only the second solar powered police station in New Zealand — and is the first base in the country to feature all external signage in te reo Māori.
The base is a unique reflection of the local landscape with a rammed earth wall and flooring repurposed from a decommissioned local cheese factory.
The old, more traditional station was destroyed by fire in 2018.
“While devastating at the time, the fire was an opportunity to create a new community-focused and sustainable space that’s also a great place to work for the two officers stationed here,” Commissioner Coster says.
“This whare is a touchstone for positive change – it’s a place that encourages engagement with the entire community and the spirit of mahi tahi (working together).
“It’s wairua can be felt inside and out.
“Visitors to the base may be surprised to find the front counter has been replaced by a kiosk and much of the space is open to the public for community hui and events.
“By removing some of the physical barriers between Police and the community we hope to create a safer, more inclusive space that brings people together.”
Deputy Commissioner Wally Haumaha says design decisions were led by an external reference group, including iwi and other community partners.
“The partnership with the community reference group has been imperative in getting this project just right for Police and the community, and creating an environment in which everyone can thrive."
Chair Te Uru Taumatua - Tūhoe iwi office Tamati Kruger says Tūhoe has been a strong support partner throughout all stages of the project.
“This base is a product of the friendship between Ngāi Tūhoe and New Zealand Police,” he says.
The front of the base features art by Wharerangi Turnbull. The unique piece, called Whakakotahi – To Unify, was designed to promote unity, teamwork, rebirth, rebuilding, participation, and the past, present and future of Tāneatua.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
