38 new constables will graduate from The Royal New Zealand Police College in Wing 261 tomorrow. Their wing patron is Venerable Manshin, the current Abbess of the International Buddhist Trust (IBT) New Zealand and International Buddhist Association (IBA) of New Zealand.
The Abbess is highly regarded globally and is passionate about the arts and educating youth.
Venerable Manshin is responsible for the two New Zealand temples managed by the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order (FGS). The South Island temple is located in Canterbury (Christchurch city) and the North Island temple in Counties-Manukau (Manukau city), where all but one of Wing 261 will be posted.
The Police's Māori, Pacific and Ethnic Services (MPES) team together with FGS have partnered on several initiatives. These included producing and launching the 'Practical reference to religious diversity' book, hosting the inaugural Ethnic Police Development Conference and inaugurating and blessing the two New Zealand Buddhist temples by local Iwi.
A crime prevention expo is held annually at the temple in Manukau City with more than 3,000 people attending. The event is jointly run by the Asian Council on Reducing Crime, Manukau City Council and Police. The Abbess has invited the wing to the temple in a fortnight for a tour following their official welcome to the Counties Manukau Police District.
High achievers
Training staff have been impressed by the wing’s strong academic performance with many achieving high pass marks. The wing is also talented in languages including Korean, Chinese, Samoan, Indian and Maori.
Members of the wing have also excelled on the international sporting stage. One has been a member of the Black Ferns since 2000 and this past weekend trialed for the 2011 World Cup team and another is an internationally recognised swimmer.
Tomorrow's graduation will mark the second presentation of the Porirua City Council Leadership Award. The award winner is selected by the wing management team as having demonstrated outstanding leadership and potential to succeed. Although this award has been available for some time, it is only awarded when a recruit has excelled in all of the standards required.
Of the 38 new constables 29 are men and 9 are women. The youngest to graduate is 18 years old and the oldest is 38.
All but one member of Wing 261 have been posted to stations in the Counties Manukau District. The remaining member has been posted to the Northland District.
They will be posted to:
Counties Manukau - Papakura (2), Otahuhu (15), Howick (10), Pukekohe (2), Manurewa (8)
Northland - Kaikohe (1)
Wing 261 prize winners:
•Minister's Prize for First in Wing was awarded to Constable Samuel Hensman, posted to Otahuhu. Constable Hensman was also awarded the Ericsson Practical Prize for the overall winner for practical assessments, skills files & forensic fingerprinting.
•Commissioner's Prize for Second in Wing was awarded to Constable Kary Rushton, posted to Otahuhu. Constable Rushton was also awarded International Police Association Academic Prize (overall winner for Academic Exams 1, 2 & 3).
•Patron's Prize for Third in Wing was awarded to Constable Simone Ritchie, posted to Otahuhu. Constable Ritchie was also awarded the Physical Training and Defensive Tactics Award and the Driver Training Award.
•The Holden Tactical Skills & Safety Prize (overall winner in defensive tactics, firearms & driving) was awarded to Constable Andrew Parkinson, posted to Otahuhu.
•The Porirua City Council Leadership Award (selected by the wing management team as having demonstrated outstanding leadership and potential to succeed) was awarded to Constable Jessica Low, posted to Howick. Constable Low also won the Intergraph Computer Skills Prize (overall winner in computer studies).
•Meltzer Prize for Weapon Training was awarded to Constable David Whitecliffe-Davies, posted to Pukekohe.
Police Association Prizes for Section Achievement:
This prize is awarded to an individual from each section who, in the collective view of the members of the section and the wing instructors, made the greatest contribution to the overall success of the team.
• Section One Constable Jessica Low, posted to Howick
• Section Two Constable Joseph Salisbury, posted to Otahuhu.
Wing Patron: Venerable Manshin
Venerable Manshin is the current Abbess of the International Buddhist Trust (IBT) New Zealand and International Buddhist Association (IBA) of New Zealand.
Born in Malaysia, Venerable Manshin began her studies at the Taiwan-based Tsung Lin University in February 1987 and was admitted to the international division of the University in 1989. After graduating in 1990 she was sent by the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order (FGS) to Queensland, Australia. Together with Venerable Yungchuan, she started the first Fo Guang Shan temple in Australia called Chung Tian.
In April 1995 Venerable Manshin helped to establish Fo Guang Yuan Buddhist Centres in the Sydney area. She took over the development of IBT New Zealand in February 2003 and in August of that year became the Abbess of Nan Tien Temple and its ten branches. During this time she was also responsible for various projects for FGS. These projects included finalising the planning and development for both IBT and IBA New Zealand.
Her hard work in Australia and New Zealand gained wide recognition and she became a Justice of the Peace in 2006 after a recommendation from the Mayor of Wollongong City in Australia.
Graduation will take place at The Royal New Zealand Police College, Papakowhai Rd, Porirua, on Thursday 10 June at 2:00pm. The ceremony will be attended by Police Commissioner Howard Broad.
Ends
Released by:
Penelope Clevely
Acting Communications Advisor: RNZPC/TSC
Tel: 04 238 3572
Mobile: 021 326 922
Email: penelope.clevely@police.govt.nz