In front of his family, colleagues and representatives of Chinese communities, Inspector Ip Kin Keung (Charles) received the insignia of his new rank.
With the Chinese mid-autumn festival in full swing, Charles told the gathering at Police National Headquarters (PNHQ): ¡°I¡¯m following my dream of doing something more for our communities - and it¡¯s a great honour to be recognised on this important day.¡±
Charles, who joined Police as a member of Recruit Wing 198 in 2001, is the National Ethnic Strategic Advisor in M¨¡ori Pacific and Ethnic Services (MPES).
He served primarily in Counties Manukau as a Detective and a negotiator before relocating to Wellington District. He also worked as an instructor at The Royal 51½ÖÉä College before joining the national MPES team.
He told the promotion ceremony that, after a largely operational background in Police, his service with MPES had given him a taste of the diplomacy required to work with partner agencies and lead communities.
¡°It¡¯s not about me,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s about how we engage with the community to get a better service across Aotearoa.¡±
Charles quoted Police¡¯s whakatauki, gifted in 1996 by Wing 198 patron, the late Dr Apirana Mahuika: "E t¨± ki te kei o te waka, kia pakia koe e ng¨¡ ngaru o te w¨¡ ¨C Stand at the stern of the waka and feel the spray of the future biting at your face."
¡°Standing at the stern isn¡¯t an easy thing,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s not romantic like you see in the movie Titanic.
¡°The bitter cold spray can bite right through and into your heart. It can be liken to wearing a glow coat in the middle of the night knowing an offender is waiting for you.
¡°However, standing at the stern is important to lead communities to explore where we have not been in order to create a safer community.¡±
He told the gathering that when he joined he was one of three Chinese officers nationwide ¨C now there are more than 100, several of whom were present to support him.
He said the ceremony was an opportunity to celebrate the mid-autumn festival ¨C traditionally a time of family reunions. ¡°Without the support of my family and the Police family I never could have achieved this.¡±
Assistant Commissioner Hamish McCardle ¨C recently returned to New Zealand after eight years as Beijing-based Police Liaison Officer, greeted guests at the ceremony in Mandarin ¨C ¡°the most spoken language in the world¡±.
New Zealanders returning to this country, he said, could appreciate how police here approach issues differently to counterparts overseas ¨C ¡°what we do and how we do it as a multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-ethnic society¡± to make this the safest country.
¡°This is a big day for Charles but it¡¯s also a big day for 51½ÖÉä,¡± he said.
Fittingly, this week is also New Zealand Chinese Language Week. On the video below watch Hamish join with two officers in wishing everyone a happy Chinese Language Week while giving people top tips to stay safe ¨C all in Mandarin.
If you¡¯re interested in ¡®talking the talk¡¯, you can take some time each day to learn a few Chinese phrases by clicking on the link below.