The voice of the community has been made a core part of the Royal New Zealand Police College (RNZPC) with the establishment of an independent advisory board.
The nine members of the RNZPC Independent Advisory Board (IAB) were welcomed to the RNZPC and their new roles on 31 May with a mihi whakatau followed by their first meeting and opportunity to get to know each other.
In welcoming the members, Chair of the IAB and Executive Lead: Future Policing Mark Evans thanked them for the work they are about to do over the course of their two-year appointment.
“You’ve been specially selected to be here because you are all special people ... you’re here because we think you have the right mindset, the right attitude and the right way of thinking about the world that will be helpful and important to us in the New Zealand Police as the voice of the community.”
The IAB’s purpose is to provide advice to the Executive and RNZPC leadership that will help in developing the best training and professional development environment possible.
“I believe the diversity of the members’ backgrounds, experience and perspectives, and the acumen they bring to this board, will be a game-changer and a great support for the RNZPC and Police training,” says Mark.
“From the first meeting I can see they are keen to help the RNZPC deliver on its aspiration to become a centre of excellence for high quality police training and to identify opportunities to bring that aspiration to life.”
The IAB is likely to provide advice on the systems to ensure quality of training material, bicultural and diversity-centric approaches to learning, community expectations of Police training, innovation in the design and development of training and learning material, the physical campus environment, governance and operation of the RNZPC, future policing and the officer or employee of tomorrow, and international best practice.
The RNZPC’s Academic Director Dr Nessa Lynch led the establishment of the IAB and was involved in selecting the members.
“I’m thrilled by the calibre of the members and their commitment to serving their communities in this way.”
Nessa says the board’s insights and advice will be presented to Police’s Organisational Culture Governance Group for their consideration, and the resolution of issues and the appropriate implementation of agreed IAB recommendations will lie with the Police Executive and the RNZPC’s leadership.
IAB member Arihia Stirling QSM says she commends Commissioner Andrew Coster “for having the foresight to create this RNZPC Independent Advisory Board with members who possess a diverse set of skills, backgrounds and experience.”
And she nicely sums up the board’s role.
“This board will aid in ensuring police officers and employees have the range of tools required to address the needs within the communities they serve.
“We must ensure that our police service is relevant, reflects our communities and can respond in a manner that is appropriate in this ever-changing environment.”
You can read more about the IAB and its members here on the Police website.