SPECIAL REPORT: To mark the recent celebration of the 60th Africa Day, Ten One looks into Police’s relationship with New Zealand's growing African communities.
On Thursday 25 May, Police staff and members of New Zealand’s African communities celebrated the 60th Africa Day.
Africa Day marks the anniversary of the formation of the Organisation of African Unity, later the African Union, which represents 55 nations on the African continent. The 60th anniversary was seen as a significant milestone.
New Zealand’s African communities are small but growing. The 2018 census found 16,890 New Zealanders declaring descent from African nations (not counting South African European) - 0.3 percent of the population.
There are significant African communities in many of our larger cities, particularly in Tāmaki Makaurau, and a career in policing is increasingly becoming an attractive proposition for members keen to represent those communities.
“I’m really proud to be working for New Zealand Police,” says Constable Wilson Manganda, who graduated last year with Wing 354 and is on the front line in Waikato.
Graduation day photos of Constables Wilson Manganda, left, and Amanuel Molla, during the Wing 355 haka.
“I came to New Zealand with my family in 2004 - we left Zimbabwe at that time as my family wanted a new start due to the political turmoil that was ongoing in the country.
“My hope is that New Zealand continues to be the understanding and forward-thinking nation that it’s heralded to be.
“I’m honoured to be part of the Police in Aotearoa and through my service I’m giving back to the community that welcomed me and my whānau.”
Constable Amanuel Molla graduated from Wing 355, also last year, and is based in Tāmaki Makaurau. He came to New Zealand from Ethiopia with his family in 2016, for a better life and to have more opportunities.
“We heard so many good things about New Zealand and the culture and how friendly people are, especially when it comes to different cultures,” he says.
“I am very proud to be forging a career in New Zealand Police and I am looking forward to many more opportunities in the future.”
A well-attended meeting of the Police-facilitated Ethnic Social Cohesion group incorporated a celebration of Africa Day 2023.
Africa Day 2023 fell on a day of one of the monthly Ethnic Social Cohesion meetings facilitated by Police in Tāmaki Makaurau.
The meeting included a celebration of Africa Day. African communities were well represented, and a marimba band played. Superintendent Scott Gemmell, Director Tāmaki Makaurau Partnerships, gave a well-received address.
The meetings help Police share prevention advice and insights on emerging trends, explore opportunities for collaboration with community leaders and seek to foster an inclusive environment where diverse communities can collaborate with each other.
Subject matter experts are invited to provide advice and information to be fed back to community members. There may be speakers from other government agencies and NGOs – for example, Auckland Emergency Management attended recently to provide advice relating to the floods.
Key partners - Ketina Chivasa from the Pan African Community Centre in New Lyn, left, and African Communities Forum Inc President Evelyn Park.
It is a valuable forum for diverse communities - and few are as diverse as New Zealand’s African communities, which represent a huge range of cultures covering a vast continent.
In New Zealand, the Auckland-based ACOFI – African Communities Forum Inc - provides a voice for communities and a point of contact for Police ethnic liaison staff.
Jessica Phuang, Tāmaki Makaurau Ethnic Responsiveness Manager, says the current ACOFI leadership, under President Evelyn Park, has helped bringing diverse New Zealand African communities together.
Another important contact is Ketina Chivasa, from the Pan African Community Centre in New Lynn. When Ketina launched a radio show, her invitees included Police representatives and ACOFI.
“We went to the launch of the radio show with Evelyn,” says Jessica. “We all stood together and showed the different communities that we were working together – we showed unity.
“If we keep working together and invite the African communities all to the social cohesion meetings with Evelyn and Ketina’s contacts, the message will be shared.
“Ketina has been instrumental in helping us get closer to the communities – she will often invite new people and that’s helpful.”
One long-standing aim is to further encourage recruitment of members of African communities into Police – “the main key to breaking barriers”, says Jessica.
Patron Gregory Fortuin and the members of Wing 302, who graduated in 2017.
Breaking barriers depends on Police’s success in building trust, particularly with younger community members whose view of us may be less than positive.
Former Race Relations Commissioner Gregory Fortuin, who grew up under apartheid in South Africa, is a supporter of New Zealand Police – a member of the Commissioner’s Ethnic Focus Forum and Patron of Recruit Wing 302.
He says he has seen great progress in policing since 2001, when he first sat down with Commissioner Rob Robinson and five manilla folders of complaints from Māori.
He is particularly encouraged by Understanding Policing Delivery, the research programme looking into questions of bias and how to ensure policing is fair and equitable.
“There has definitely been systemic bias but it is pleasing to see that at the highest level, with successive Commissioners and their Executives, it won’t be tolerated,” he says.
For many older members of African and other ethnic communities, distrust may run deep because of what police represented in their homelands.
Younger members may not have the same historic baggage, but for Police to win the trust of communities, policing must be fair and equitable. Each situation must be judged on its own merits, says Gregory.
“Was someone stopped because they’re African? Or were they stopped because they were reversing across the Harbour Bridge at 2am?
“We [communities] have to make sure we don’t call everything racism. But Police also has to acknowledge that, because of our history, some communities have lower levels of trust and confidence in policing.”
Gregory’s advice to frontline staff is to show equal respect to all, to be firm but fair in how you hold someone to account.
“There is great power in the blue uniform. You have the power to bring out the best in people.
“When you stop somebody for any reason, treat everyone the same, whoever they are and wherever they come from. Understand that you have the power to call out the best in them - let that be your MO.”