NZ Police win ethnic diversity award

Media Release Thursday 28 June 2012

Extraordinary Times, Extraordinary Response; NZ Police win ethnic diversity award

New Zealand Police were again awarded the Excellence in Ethnic Diversity award at the 2012 IPANZ Gen-I Public Sector Excellence Awards on Wednesday 27 June.

The Office of Ethnic Affairs sponsors the award and Police have won it both years it has existed.

The award was given to the Cultural Response Team (CRT) which Police established to support ethnically diverse people in the aftermath of the February earthquake in Christchurch.

The Office of Ethnic Affairs Director, Mervin Singham, says Police are showing the way when it comes to addressing ethnic diversity in the public sector.

“Police called the team an extraordinary response in an extraordinary time, and I feel the initiative not only showed a concern for the welfare of ethnic people but was also a very practical and useful way to provide support.”

It was the first time in the history of New Zealand policing that a CRT was deployed in a national disaster. The team consisted of 12 officers speaking 12 different languages and covering Māori, Pacific, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Filipino and African ethnicities.

Nationals from more than 20 countries were among the victims and a high number of relatives and overseas media travelled to New Zealand in the aftermath of the disaster.

The officers in the team provided cultural and linguistic support, assisted with victim identification, supported operational briefings to foreign media and embassy officials, translated and interpreted key documents and messages, and facilitated religious protocols for funeral arrangements.

The CRT was also awarded the State Services Commission Award for Excellence in responding to the Canterbury Earthquakes.

The IPANZ Gen-i awards celebrate excellence within the public sector from central and local government agencies and highlight initiatives making a positive difference to local communities.

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