Insights from the Whare: Strategies for equitable policing in New Zealand – Te Puna Haumaru seminar series

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Thursday 27 Mar 2025, 2pm – 3pm, Online, Te Puna Haumaru | New Zealand Institute for Security and Crime Science

Join us as Dr Pounamu Jade Aikman shares findings from He Kitenga nō te Whare, a solutions-focused research initiative he led examining policing practices in New Zealand through the metaphor of the ‘Blue Whare’ (house of policing).

This presentation shares findings from He Kitenga nō te Whare, a solutions-focused research initiative Dr Pounamu Jade Aikman led examining policing practices in New Zealand through the metaphor of the ‘Blue Whare’ (house of policing). 
 
Drawing on his fieldwork conducted at the Royal New Zealand Police College and three Districts between 2022-2024, Dr Aikman developed the whakataukī (proverb) #systemsnotpeople to identify structural opportunities for building fair and equitable outcomes in policing, particularly for Māori and Pasifika communities. 
 
Dr Aikman’s report examined four foundational pillars of the Blue Whare: initial training, leadership development, cultural responsiveness, and organisational strategy. He identified several key challenges, including disconnects between theoretical knowledge and practical application of cultural responsiveness; reactive approaches that prioritise immediate response over strategic initiatives; and inconsistent implementation of supported/alternative resolution pathways. 
 
Working closely with Police, the suite of recommendations Dr Aikman developed were responsive to the current realities of policing today. In this seminar he will speak both to these insights, and also the nature of doing research within the BlueWhare itself. 

SPEAKER: 

Dr Pounamu Jade Aikman is an Independent Scholar working at the intersections between criminal justice, education, and health, and is Director of the research consultancy, Mana Pounamu Consulting. He has just completed a two-year project with New Zealand Police, Understanding Policing Delivery; is Victoria University of Wellington’s 2025 Emerging Māori Writer in Residence; and alongside Dr Lisa Tompson of Waikato University has recently been awarded a Marsden grant exploring rangatahi tāne Māori involvement in crime and harm. 

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