Tui first applied for a data entry job at PIB's old base in Cuba St, Wellington. The jobs had gone but because of her legal background as a former legal secretary she was offered a role in the courts section of adjudication.
"I was very quiet and properly dressed in those days," she said.
"I'm still properly dressed – I'm just not very quiet any more."
She said working for police had built up her confidence.
"Be yourself. Some people just want to tick every box to get where they want to be, but for me it was always just about being me.
"He aha te mea nui o te ao? What is the most important thing in the world? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. It is people, it is people, it is people.
"I've always been about the people. People first, business second. You need the people to make your business successful."
She worked in almost every area of PIB, eventually going full circle to finish as courts section team leader.
"I said to my first team leader 'I'm going to have your job when you leave'. And I did."
She says her final role was the one she enjoyed most.
"I loved the investigation side. I loved the evidence. I wanted to make sure everything was correct from the defendant's side as well as from police's. I wanted to make sure we had a case and everything was fair."
She enjoyed her working relationships with police prosecutors and road policing managers nationwide, as her role included managing speed camera activations by police and other emergency service vehicles.
In Northland she intends networking with police and community partners to find how she can be of use to Te Pae Oranga, a community-based process which seeks to address low-level offending outside the formal court system.
Tui said her experience in legal environments and expertise in matters related to driving offending could prove valuable. Driving offences often come before panels, while getting a licence and getting on the road legitimately is a way many people can be lifted out of offending.
Tui's desire to ensure everything is fair remains a motivation. Away from the adversarial court atmosphere, the panel's kaupapa is to work together to help the participant.
Colleagues queued up to pay tribute during her farewell at Police National Headquarters. Her sense of fun and reluctance to keep her opinions to herself were a recurring theme.
Inspector Pete McKennie, road policing operations manager, referred to her "smiley face and a can-do attitude" as he presented her 21-year long service and good conduct badge. She also received a certificate from the police kapa haka group to mark her contribution.
"Tui's one of those people who breaks down barriers," said her final boss at PIB, Inspector Mike Brooklands.
"She's a straight talker – I always knew where I stood with Tui."
