In front of his family, colleagues and representatives of Chinese communities, Inspector Ip Kin Keung (Charles) received the insignia of his new rank.
With the Chinese mid-autumn festival in full swing, Charles told the gathering at Police National Headquarters (PNHQ): “I’m following my dream of doing something more for our communities - and it’s a great honour to be recognised on this important day.”
Charles, who joined Police as a member of Recruit Wing 198 in 2001, is the National Ethnic Strategic Advisor in Māori Pacific and Ethnic Services (MPES).
He served primarily in Counties Manukau as a Detective and a negotiator before relocating to Wellington District. He also worked as an instructor at The Royal New Zealand Police College before joining the national MPES team.
He told the promotion ceremony that, after a largely operational background in Police, his service with MPES had given him a taste of the diplomacy required to work with partner agencies and lead communities.
“It’s not about me,” he said. “It’s about how we engage with the community to get a better service across Aotearoa.”
Charles quoted Police’s whakatauki, gifted in 1996 by Wing 198 patron, the late Dr Apirana Mahuika: "E tū ki te kei o te waka, kia pakia koe e ngā ngaru o te wā – Stand at the stern of the waka and feel the spray of the future biting at your face."
“Standing at the stern isn’t an easy thing,” he said. “It’s not romantic like you see in the movie Titanic.
“The bitter cold spray can bite right through and into your heart. It can be liken to wearing a glow coat in the middle of the night knowing an offender is waiting for you.
“However, standing at the stern is important to lead communities to explore where we have not been in order to create a safer community.”
He told the gathering that when he joined he was one of three Chinese officers nationwide – now there are more than 100, several of whom were present to support him.
He said the ceremony was an opportunity to celebrate the mid-autumn festival – traditionally a time of family reunions. “Without the support of my family and the Police family I never could have achieved this.”
Assistant Commissioner Hamish McCardle – recently returned to New Zealand after eight years as Beijing-based Police Liaison Officer, greeted guests at the ceremony in Mandarin – “the most spoken language in the world”.
New Zealanders returning to this country, he said, could appreciate how police here approach issues differently to counterparts overseas – “what we do and how we do it as a multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-ethnic society” to make this the safest country.
“This is a big day for Charles but it’s also a big day for New Zealand Police,” he said.
Fittingly, this week is also New Zealand Chinese Language Week. On the video below watch Hamish join with two officers in wishing everyone a happy Chinese Language Week while giving people top tips to stay safe – all in Mandarin.
If you’re interested in ‘talking the talk’, you can take some time each day to learn a few Chinese phrases by clicking on the link below.