Skip Content
Eruera Rāwiri

While some people celebrate their 21st with a yard glass, Eruera Rāwiri marked the milestone by receiving the key to a career in the Police.

In February, the Tairāwhiti constable graduated from the Royal New Zealand Police College on his 21st birthday and got straight into the mahi on his first posting, to his hometown of Gisborne.

However, it took three years to get there after the former Gisborne Boys High School student first heard about a police preparation programme Te Wānanga o Aotearoa kaiako Hogi Hogarth was delivering at the Whirikoka Campus.

Eru, who is of Te Arawa descent, thought it would be a good career choice but knew it would take time.

“I knew I wouldn't get in straight away but it was something that I could work toward. From there, I put in an application to join the course and I was accepted,” he says.

In 2013 he was one of 18 tauira to enrol on the course.

“That was great, I met a lot of people around my age and we built some solid friendships because everyone was working towards the same goal. I don't think I would've been able to get through without them.”

Eru passed both the theory and fitness testing by the time he was 18 and also went through the police vetting process, went on patrol with police officers to get an idea of what was involved and got his full driver’s licence, which is a prerequisite for the job. But he still faced a wait.

“When I recruited there weren't any vacancies in Gisborne. When that happens you have to sit in a candidate pool for the district you've chosen,” Eru says.

He continued working in a local supermarket, maintained his fitness and met more local police through playing soccer but it was still two and a half years before a vacancy came up in October last year and he spent the next four months at Police College with 40 other fresh recruits.

It was a pretty daunting experience, he says.

“Basically it was 16 weeks of study then once the course is finished you've still got to go through another physical competency test to show that you're fit for duty.”

Eru passed those tests and was the youngest of five constables to graduate from his Te Wānanga o Aotearoa cohort. Overall, he says it was worth the wait and the hard work involved to proudly take his place in the police force.

“It's been great. I couldn't think of a better 21st birthday present.”


 Back to news & events

Published On: 5 July, 2016

Article By: Carly Tawhiao



Other Articles

  • 18 June 2025

    Painting from within: Nakita’s creative awakening

    Discover the creative journey of contemporary Māori artist Nakita Tilson, whose passion for painting and Māori art was nurtured through her studies at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. From overcoming health challenges to creating powerful works like Hine Tōhenga, Nakita’s story is one of resilience, identity, and painting from within.

  • 11 June 2025

    New country, new skills for Sophie

    Discover how Sophie Li, a recent immigrant from China, built confidence and community through study at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. From English language to money management and small business, Sophie’s journey highlights the power of accessible education for new migrants in Aotearoa.

  • 27 May 2025

    Wānanga partner with Waikato-Tainui to preserve and protect taonga

    Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and Waikato-Tainui launch Te Tohu Tiaki Taonga, a new programme designed to equip iwi with the skills to preserve and protect taonga. Co-designed with iwi and experts, this kaupapa Māori qualification supports cultural archiving and heritage roles while upholding tikanga Māori.

  • 23 May 2025

    Rangatahi return to founding campus of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa

    Rangatahi from Te Wharekura o Ngā Purapura o Te Aroha and Te Awamutu College return to the founding campus of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa to study mahi toi through the Visual Arts Secondary Tertiary Programme.