Police Commissioner Andrew Coster at the opening of the walkway. Photo / Melissa Nightingale
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster at the opening of the walkway. Photo / Melissa Nightingale
First responders, civilians, and a slain police dog who all received some of Aotearoa's highest bravery awards have been commemorated in a new memorial walkway at the police college.
He Toa Taumata Rau (The Place of Many Brave Deeds) tells the stories of operations and events where royally warranted bravery honours have been awarded to members of police and the public.
The permanent outdoor tribute was opened today by Police Commissioner Andrew Coster, to honour the courage and achievements of police staff.
Senior Constable Tony Rice, who received the New Zealand Bravery Medal for tackling a gunman in 1993, was at the opening today, and said it was "amazing" to see.
"The police had been actively hunting Leslie Maurice Green who was a well-known criminal at the time, and he had just committed an aggravated robbery," Rice told the Herald.
He and his partner saw Green trying to carjack someone and got out to help.
Green pointed a loaded gun at the two officers, and while pointing it at Rice's partner Dean Pleydell, he briefly had his back turned to Rice.
Senior Constable Tony Rice stands by his pou for his 1993 arrest of Leslie Maurice Green. Photo / Melissa Nightingale
"So I just ran up to him and tackled him and brought him to the ground and we were able to arrest him," he said.
"There was an opportunity to try and resolve the matter and I took it and was thankful I did, and Dean was pretty thankful as well.
"At the time, I mean, you just did it because it was part of your job ... every other police officer would have done the same thing."
The gravity of what happened took some time to sink in, he said.
When asked what went through his mind when he was about to tackle Green, Rice said it was "this is my chance, let's take it".
It was "very, very humbling" to receive a medal, and Rice thought the memorial was "absolutely amazing ... it's incredible."
Senior Constable Dean Pleydell (left) and Constable Tony Rice received the New Zealand Bravery Medal for bringing down a gunman in 1993. Photo / Supplied
The memorial takes the form of an outside walkway of decorated pou (pillars) - co-designed with Ngāti Toa Rangatira - along a path in the Royal New Zealand Police College's lower grounds, below the New Zealand Police Museum and within sight of the public road.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster spoke to media ahead of the opening, saying the memorial gave people an opportunity to celebrate, "for the first time", the 27 incidents so far in which police and civilians have been awarded the highest level of bravery recognition New Zealand could offer.
"One of the most important things we do is look after our community in times of danger. People every day undertake courageous acts to do that," he said.
Events in the memorial include the Aramoana massacre in 1990, the Christchurch terror attacks, and the Napier siege.
"Never, that I am aware of, have we had so many people in a room together like this who are all so closely bound by acts of bravery and courage which, in some cases, resulted in the ultimate sacrifice of lives being lost or taken," Coster said to a group of police and civilians gathered for the opening.
He said there were 61 police, one traffic officer, 21 civilians, one firefighter, two paramedics, and one police dog recognised in the memorial.
Museum director Rowan Carroll said it was "proudly publicly accessible" and "a way to showcase the bravery, integrity and professionalism of our people and illustrate how we're delivering the service the public expect and deserve."
Ngāti Toa gifted police the name He Toa Taumata Rau and police worked alongside carvers Nathan Rei and Hermann Salzmann and design specialists Story Inc.
The memorial walkway has space to add more pou. Photo / Melissa Nightingale
The 16 steel pou represent 27 events since 1950 which led to the award of the George Cross, George Medal, New Zealand Cross, New Zealand Bravery Star, New Zealand Bravery Decoration and New Zealand Bravery Medal.
The pou stand 2.5 metres tall on a concrete base and follow a chronological order of the events, with the most recent at the lower end of the path. They will be lit up at night and have been designed so further pou can be added.
