The Royal New Zealand Police College (RNZPC) is the heart of New Zealand Police. It is where our people begin their journey in policing and where they come back to refresh and renew their training and professional development throughout their careers.
The RNZPC Independent Advisory Board supports our goal to be a centre of excellence for world-class police training and professional development.
Purpose
The Board provides Police with independent community and professional advice on Police training and professional development, including:
- 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
- international best practice.
The Board is advisory only – it can make recommendations but it has no executive powers around implementing those recommendations.
Primary responsibility for ensuring resolution of issues and the appropriate implementation of agreed Board recommendations lies with the Police Executive and the RNZPC’s leadership team.
Membership
The Board is led by Chair Mark Evans (a member of the Police Executive) and comprises nine external members and one external attendee.
Each member has been appointed for an initial term of two years (2023 to 2025).
The members are:
- Caleb Ware, iwi elected member of Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira Board of Directors;
- Dr Tracey Green, Chief Executive of the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency;
- Vinod Bal, Co-Founder of charity Adhikaar Aotearoa, advocating for LGBT+ people of colour;
- Grace Stratton, Director of All is for All, empowering people and communities to embrace disability as a cultural lens;
- Arihia Stirling QSM, Principal of Te Kura Māori Ngā Tapuwae in Mangere and Kaupapa Māori Education Advisor;
- Grant O’Fee MNZM, consultant and retired Police Superintendent with a deep knowledge of policing and police training;
- Gregory Fortuin, community leader and former race relations conciliator;
- Melanie Taite-Pitama, experienced governor, academic and education leader;
- Associate Professor Yvonne Crichton-Hill, Head of Social Work at the University of Canterbury with a focus on wellbeing in Pacific communities;
- Professor Ian Lambie ONZM, Justice Sector Chief Science Advisor, academic and clinical psychologist specialising in children, adolescents, and youth justice.
- RNZPC Independent Advisory Board biographies (PDF 327KB)
Selection of Board members
The Board was selected through expressions of interest and direct approach, with the aim to have diverse Board members with skills and competencies such as:
- Knowledge of tikanga, te ao Māori, mātauranga Māori, or Māori strategic acumen.
- Expertise in research and innovation relevant to policing such as family harm, mental health, social cohesion, emerging technologies, and strategic foresight.
- Perspectives from diverse voices or groups impacted by policing.
- Corporate governance and/or risk and assurance experience.
- Global perspectives on policing.
- The principles and practice of education, especially within bicultural and multicultural settings.
- Experience in organisational development, wellbeing, and organisational change.
Should a Board member relinquish their role, a new member will be appointed through expressions of interest and/or directly approaching suitable replacements.
Meeting frequency
The Board meets several times a year, potentially more often as work develops, at the RNZPC campus in Porirua.