High school students are being offered an early taste of a Police career with the launch of an Introduction to Police Studies NCEA course.
Rotorua Boys’ and Rotorua Girls’ High Schools are the first to offer the Year 13 course, in collaboration with education provider Unitec and the Royal New Zealand Police College (RNZPC).
The aim is to help youngsters who are considering a Police career and give others a better understanding of Police’s role in society.
The launch of the proof-of-concept phase in Rotorua involved a pōwhiri with local iwi, AOS and police dog displays and a visit from the Eagle helicopter.
Police representatives included Deputy Commissioner Audrey Sonerson, Assistant Commissioner Wally Haumaha, General Manager Training Superintendent Scott Fraser, Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Andy McGregor and Rotorua Area Commander Inspector Anaru Pewhairangi.
The full-year course, delivered by the schools in collaboration with Police and Unitec, covers the context of policing in New Zealand, legislation, policies, strategies, procedures and ethics, and the theory and practice of policing.
It involves visits to the RNZPC and input from district staff to inject frontline experience. Prosecutors and a judge will help stage mock courts.
Students will be able to gain 24 NCEA Level 3 credits, plus the Unitec NCEA Level 4 certificate in Introduction to Police Studies Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Level 3 NCEA incorporates the 12-week pre-entry course which all RNZPC applicants complete - but it does not guarantee a place as applicants will still have to meet other entry requirements.
So far, 25 percent of next year’s Year 13s at Rotorua Boys’ and 18 percent at Rotorua Girls’ have enrolled.
“These students will end up with a wonderful qualification and on the pathway to being a police officer within a few months of leaving school,” says Rotorua Boys’ Principal, Chris Grinter.
“We are really excited about the opportunity to participate with our brother school in this groundbreaking partnership with New Zealand Police,” says Rotorua Girls’ Principal Ally Gibbons.
Anaru – a former teacher - says the idea arose from discussions with the RNZPC about ways of reaching high school students.
He talked it over with Rotorua colleagues Detective Sergeant Herby Ngawhika and Detective Chris Nairn - respectively Boys’ High and Girls’ High board chairs - which led to meetings with the principals and other stakeholders.
“This is an opportunity for these young people to be role models in their communities,” he says. “These are our future leaders and we can enable them to succeed, which is what the Police High Performance Framework is about.”
The course will contribute to Police targets of increasing recruitment among Māori and women, reducing Māori reoffending by 25 percent and achieving 90 percent trust and confidence “if youth and Māori start to see more of a ‘we’ culture in Police,” says Anaru.
He says the ground shook as 800-plus boys performed the Boys' High haka - a sign of the event's significance to the schools. "We showed we're committed and invested in this, that we're here to do the business together."