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Friends farewell ‘humble’ colleague
Senior Constable Phillip (Piripi) Wipatene was a well respected member
of the community, forging relationships between police and Mäori.
 Phillip, of Taranaki descent, belonged to Parihaka all his life “running
around there as a snotty-nosed kid,” says Central District’s Mäori
Liaison Officer, Senior Sergeant Gordon Rongonui. In later years he was
the liaison person between Parihaka and police. “He knew the community
and could work well with people. On the day he died, he was to attend a ceremony
to become a trustee of Parihaka.
Gordon says Phillip spent a lot of time in schools working with children – many
of whom only spoke Te Reo. “He was able to go in and tell them about
road safety – he was involved in everything.” He describes Phillip
as a humble man. “He didn’t like confrontation and would always
try and talk things out. But even though he was humble, on the golf course
he was very competitive.”
His personal and professional pride were evident, says Gordon. “If your
car wasn’t clean, he’d moan about it to you. You had to be professional
in appearance. Everything he had, he treated with pride.”
Gordon says Phillip was involved in raising money for child cancer, and
was part of the Taranaki leg of a fundraising venture for the child cancer
ward at Wellington hospital. “We also pushed the road safety aspect and
all wore safety jackets and helmets.”
 “
Iwi Liaison Officers will always remember him fondly as Piripi,” says
Superintendent Pieri Munro. “He made significant contribution to NZ Police
Responsiveness to Mäori development at its inception and he took pride
in the advances that were being made nationally.
“
The attendance at his funeral of so many police, constable to commissioner,
will insert a new page, a positive page in the history of police relationship
with Parihaka and the people. That is what Piripi would have wanted,” says
Pieri.
Central District Commander, Superintendent Mark Lammas also remembers
Phillip with fondness. “Both the Commissioner and myself had personal
contact with Phillip following the death of Steven Wallace, where he took a
liaison role. I got to know him in quite a personal sense and I, along with
his police colleagues, are still coming to grips with the tragedy of Phillip’s
death.
“
The investigation into the crash is continuing but it seems with the
events that there was very little he could have done to prevent it. I am sure
we are all thinking ‘there but for the grace of God go I’,” says
Mark. “Phillip has a loving and supportive family and we will do everything
we can to provide support to them.”
Phillip’s boss, Senior Sergeant Neil Wynne, Strategic Traffic Manager
for Central District, says he was extremely impressed with the way Phillip’s
colleagues have responded since his death – including at the crash scene.
Inspector Anne Knox was New Plymouth Area Controller when Phillip was
a Youth Education Officer in 1998/99. “He was a person you seldom, if
ever, saw down in the dumps. He tended to greet you with a smile.” Anne
was one of the many police staff, sworn and nonsworn, who visited Phillip while
he was lying in state at Parihaka. “A large number of police went to
pay their respects to him and his family,” she says. “There was
about 230 police staff at his funeral.”
Phillip rejoined the Ministry of Transport as a Traffic Safety Officer
in 1989, after previously resigning in 1980. Following the MOT’s integration
with police in 1992, Phillip became a Traffic/LREP Officer at Taranaki
District Headquarters.
In 1998 he was appointed a Youth Education Officer, and the following
year became a traffic Constable in New Plymouth. Phillip joined the Central
District Highway Patrol in 2001. Phillip is survived by his wife Merridee and
their four adult children.
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