Throughout the past year recruits at the Royal New Zealand Police College have sat down with members from New Zealand’s diverse communities and gained insights for their future community interactions.
Tuia - Valuing Communities is a learning programme that aims to help our recruits better understand the diverse nature of our communities. “Tuia” means to bind together with a common thread, and the recruits are asked to find the common threads through engaging in meaningful conversations and interactions.
Across 2024, seven wings experienced the programme. Each wing (of approximately 60 to 80 recruits) spent time in small groups getting to know members from communities such as Pasifika, Muslim, African migrant, older people, Sikh, Mana Whenua, deaf and disabled, Hindu, Jewish, LGBTQIA+, Baha’i, gang whānau, and Māori Wardens.
In small groups, recruits spend 20 minutes with each volunteer and across an afternoon speak with most of the volunteers available, afterwards getting together as a wing to share their learnings. During the sessions the conversations flow, giving the recruits insight into each community from broad background information to practical ways to communicate with and help people in need from those communities.
Feedback shows the programme has been well received by both the recruits and the volunteers, seeing it as a positive experience.
Some of the recruits’ feedback has included:
- “This was an awesome experience to meet and greet people from different communities that we will soon be looking after – getting to know their views about Police and how to respect them while doing our jobs.”
- “So helpful just having little nuggets of wisdom to take to the frontline when connecting with these various communities.”
- “It gives a small but powerful insight into each community.”
- “Having different communities coming in and telling us their stories and answering our questions was an incredible insight for all of us recruits.”
The volunteers openly answer the recruits’ questions, telling each group that no questions are off limits and they are in a safe space to ask what they want to know.
Senior Sergeant Tim Johnston leads the Tuia – Valuing Communities programme. Tim is a practice leader at the RNZPC, supporting recruit training delivery, and says this programme is an important opportunity for recruits to find out what our diverse communities expect from Police and how they want to be treated.
“The conversations help recruits develop their communication skills and knowledge of the cultural and community differences they will come across when policing.
“Through this programme, we are supporting and building the recruits’ understanding of how to engage with the diverse communities they will serve during their police careers.
“We’re very grateful to the volunteers for engaging with the recruits, sharing their knowledge and experiences, and building connections and understanding that will benefit them throughout their Police careers.”
Find out more about some of the volunteers and their experience of the programme below the photo...
Recruits show their respect for the volunteers' commitment to their learning by performing a haka, with the volunteers watching at right.
Fa’alogo...
... is a senior advisor at the Ministry for Pacific Peoples and enjoys spending time with the recruits. He shares his insights, he says, to keep them safer on the job by enhancing their cultural competency.
At a recent session he said to recruits that when interacting with the Pasifika community, “it’s all about the relationship, it’s about how you make them feel” and asked the recruits to be honest and kind while carrying out their work.
For each group he speaks to, Fa’alogo gives them a scenario of having to go into a Pasifika home because a family member had done something wrong. He talks them through what they would need to consider in that environment, including first and foremost making sure they are safe.
“I find that’s the best way to help them open their eyes, to help prepare them for going into a very challenging role,” he says.
“We laugh a lot in the sessions. Part of Pacific culture is about humour, and humour breaks barriers and builds relationships.
“I enjoy taking part in the sessions because it challenges me in the way that I deliver my values and understanding of my culture, and to find a way to build a relationship with the recruits in a short time, so that they walk away with some knowledge of Pacific values, customs and language.”
Leila...
...has spent over 40 years volunteering in the Wellington Muslim community and has experience in providing cultural competency education for government and other agencies, helping them to better understand the specific needs of Muslims.
She says she gives her time to this programme to benefit her own community.
“If police understand my community better, there will be fewer opportunities for misunderstandings and misinterpretations between them.”
She especially enjoys seeing the recruits learn – “the small surprises they show when we discuss various topics and watching them relax and alter their preconceived opinions about my community.”
“I think the programme is very important for recruits to begin to have an appreciation for the various cultural perspectives of different communities,” she says.
“Because my community can look outwardly very ‘different’, as well having English language barriers, I think there can be a lot of fear and uncertainty for new recruits in how to approach its members. But after speaking one-on-one with a community member and appreciating their individual ‘normal person’ status, as well as getting a bit of a handle on some of the etiquette of interactions, I think they will feel a lot more relaxed about meeting people from my community and dealing with them in an equitable manner.”
Sheila...
...has spent 30 years in community work, including as the Elder Abuse and Neglect Prevention Co-ordinator for Age Concern. She is now retired and continues her involvement by volunteering in this space, to raise awareness of elder abuse and the signs when an older person may not be coping in their home.
“The recurring question the recruits ask me is how are they going to notice that something is wrong, what should they be looking for to work out there’s something wrong,” says Sheila.
“I talk to them about accepting a cup of tea as a tool in their toolbox and how they could use that to build a connection, to check that everything seems ok. Having the opportunity to get the milk from the fridge can give them a good idea about the state of things – is the fridge empty, is the fridge full, is there a pile of uneaten Meals on Wheels, the sorts of things they can notice.”
Sheila shares stories with the recruits of the prevalence and the inventiveness of elder abuse that she came across during her work for Age Concern and asks the recruits to reach out to Age Concern as a resource for advice.
“I’ve found it a very interesting year participating in the programme because I’ve learnt a lot. It feels good as an older person to feel that you can still make a contribution to the community and the next generation coming through.
“The recruits give me confidence in the future generation of Police. It makes me feel very hopeful for New Zealand that we’re in good hands.”