In 1990, brand new Constable Tony Hill asked to be posted to Christchurch, Wellington or Auckland – and got Whangārei instead. Now he is back there – and this time it was top of his list.
“I didn’t even know where Whangārei was when I got posted here,” says Tony, the Cantabrian who is now Superintendent Hill, Northland District Commander.
“But before joining Police I was very into hunting, fishing and diving – all the outdoorsy stuff – and when I got here I thought I’d landed in the Mecca for all that stuff.”
But more than the magnificent Northland outdoors, Tony says quality of the people he worked with had stayed with him for the intervening 28 years.
“What struck me early was that the calibre of people was really high, particularly the leadership,” he says.
“My first two sergeants were absolute stand-outs – they were very supportive leaders and took people under their wing. We were well looked-after and well guided. It prepared me early for my leadership journey in Police.”
Tony left Northland in 1993 to pursue a CIB career, having been told he was 27th on the list at a time the district was putting one candidate a year through CIB induction.
He moved briefly to Auckland then to Canterbury, where he rose to Detective Inspector, working in almost all CIB workgroups, before becoming District Prevention Manager in 2016. When previous District Commander Superintendent Russell Le Prou swapped Northland for Beijing, Tony applied to replace him.
“I’d had the opportunity to relieve in Canterbury and Tasman as district commander,” he says. “I had an interest in being a district commander and wanted to get hands-on experience.
“These opportunities confirmed for me that it’s a fantastic job to lead all aspects of Our Business in a district. Without a doubt, one of the best jobs in Police.”
The fact that it was Northland clinched it. “I’d always had a desire to come back. I jumped at the opportunity.”
The appointment process reflected the deep relationships between Police and iwi in Northland, with interviews held in front of iwi observers at Te Paea Marae, Ngararatunua, near Whangārei.
“That signified for me how critical the relationship between Police and iwi is, particularly in Northland,” says Tony. “It signalled to me that iwi had a vested interest in ensuring Police had the right person for this role.”
His extensive prevention work with Ngā Hau e Whā Marae in Christchurch and his relationship with its people gave him confidence.
“I found myself, from an early stage, not only addressing the interview panel but also the kaumātua present,” he says.
“The panel asked the questions but it was clear to me that the kaumātua had a real interest in what the interviewees had to say, particularly around partnership.”
Tony was formally welcomed to his new role with a pōwhiri at Te Paea Marae, where he was ceremonially ‘handed over’ to the district by his southern colleagues.
He intends to build on existing partnerships, which gave rise to ground-breaking work such as the Whiria Te Muka family harm pilot and methamphetamine pilot. He wants to see these spread district-wide.
“My initial focus is the leadership in this district and working strongly with partners, encouraging them to be their very best as well.
“I want to ensure that all the leadership teams in the district are high-performing, that the Police High Performance Framework is used to its best advantage.
“As with all districts, there are pockets of absolute excellence and there are some areas struggling to integrate it into day-to-day policing. Consistency is critical.”
Another intent is to enhance culture around health and safety of staff. “We need to make sure that when people come to work, they go home safely to their families at the end of their shift.”
Tony says he is loving being back in the North. “In some way it reminds me of when I came here in the 90s. People here are very engaging, very welcoming.
“With smaller districts capability is very strong – staff are required to be a jack of all trades and will often get thrown in at the deep end. That builds your capability.
“There are some people here who were here when I was in the 90s. They’re committed to their communities and have stayed here to give back. Of course there’s a good mix of new people as well.”
Then there’s the outdoorsy stuff. “Yesterday I was up at Kerikeri, Coopers Beach and Kaitaia to meet staff. The sheer beauty of this district cannot be underestimated.”
Back at District HQ, Tony is clear about his job. “Northland has had fantastic leaders in the past – I’ve got big shoes to fill and very much want to continue that journey.”