Aiming to make whānau proud: new officer one of six to be posted to the district

Constable Kelsey Barbarich was among 50 new officers who graduated from the Police College on Thursday. Picture supplied

Constable Kelsey Barbarich (Ngāti Porou) has made the step up from station support officer at Ruatōria Police Station to a fully fledged police officer.

She was among 50 new officers welcomed to the force last Thursday when Wing 372 graduated from the Police College, and was one of six new officers posted to the Eastern Police District.

Her husband, Sergeant Tim Barbarich, is also based in Gisborne and for a while his wife worked alongside him at Ruatōria.

“At the Ruatōria station I learned the value of being part of a strong team,” Kelsey said.

“My role there allowed me to work daily with police officers across Te Tairāwhiti.

“While challenging at times, my role as station support officer really opened my eyes to the demands a community can have on its police.

“I saw first-hand as a station support officer and as a wife, the highs and lows associated with policing in small communities.

“With tremendous hardships also come great outcomes.

“I am a whānau-orientated person, and one of the main reasons I set out to finally pursue my dream of becoming a police officer is to make my whānau proud.”

At her graduation were Commissioner of Police Andrew Coster, Police Minister Mark Mitchell, members of the Police executive, and patron Chappie Te Kani (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga a Māhaki, Tūhoe, Ngāti Maniapoto, Rongowhakaata).

Mr Te Kani grew up on a farm at Whatatutu and comes from a prominent Tairāwhiti whānau that has provided generations of social service.

He is chief executive of Oranga Tamariki, and he told the recruits that a winning recipe was “relationships, integrity and service”.

He said his work and the work of the police were very similar, with a focus on prevention, relationships and working with the community. Integrity and empathy were key values to both.

“My whānau, my whakapapa, my absolute core is my identity, without hesitation. I was born Ngāti Porou, I will die Ngāti Porou, and everything in between is part of my journey,” Mr Te Kani said.

The wing was made up of several officers with family currently serving, like Tim and Kelsey Barbarich, or who have previously served in the NZ Police, including some who are the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of police officers nationally and internationally.

It included a number of ex-military from New Zealand and abroad.

Constable Kelsey Barbarich starts work in Gisborne next Monday.