Tina Dower has been waving the flag for Police employees for more than three decades but admits she never thought it would lead to being elected vice-president (VP) of the Police Association. 

It’s the first time the association has had a Police employee in the role she now shares with fellow director Paul Ormerod. 

Tina (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Kahungunu), a training facilitator based in Auckland, says she is humbled by the election result and appreciates the support of members who “see something in me that is worth investing in”. 

“I thought that being a Police employee could be a barrier to being elected as a VP, but I wouldn’t have put my name forward if I wasn’t prepared for the challenge.” 

She credits former association president Chris Cahill for laying the groundwork for her accomplishments by actively facilitating Police employee participation on the board of directors.

In 2018, Tina was the first appointed Police employee director (as opposed to an elected region director). At that time, she saw her role as giving Police employees a voice on the board and encouraging them to join the association. 

Now, she says, she is still working to enhance the profile of Police employees but is also focused on issues that affect all members.

This includes ensuring the ongoing financial stability of the association, she says, and “making sure we look after members’ money… using it wisely and being clear with members about what we’re doing with their money”. 

She understands that there is still an element of “them and us” in the workplace between constabulary staff and Police employees, but stresses that both groups join Police for the same reasons – “catching the bad guys, making people accountable, and creating a great service”.

“Police employees are helping the public and our officers by doing the roles police officers don’t need to do because they should be out on the street. We are intertwined. They can’t work without us and we can’t work without them. We complement each other.”

The big issues this year, she says, will be the constabulary pay round and the question of general arming being on members’ minds.

Strengthening integrity

Association president Steve Watt says Tina’s election as a VP is a fantastic personal result for her and it strengthens the integrity of the board. “Tina is a strong advocate for ensuring the voice of Police employees continues to be heard but, be assured, she recognises the need to represent all members of the association. Her knowledge and vast array of skills accumulated over 37 years in policing is a tangible asset for us all.”

Tina has in-depth knowledge of Police employee roles. She joined Police in 1988 at the age of 18, starting at the Takapuna Police Station, where she gained a solid grounding in the day to day of watch house work. 

In 1999, she became a computer instructor for the Police College before moving to North Comms in 2002 as an emergency communicator and then as a staff trainer. She is now based at Piki Ki Te Ao, in South Auckland, where she delivers training programmes on behalf of the college, including for non-emergency (105) communicators and file management workgroups. 

“Helping people learn and grow is what I love most, and seeing the confidence and capability that good training brings is incredibly rewarding.”

Building ‘Piki’ committee

Over her career, she has been an active member of the association, as an office holder and conference delegate, having joined her local committee as soon as Police employees became eligible to become association members in 1991. 

In 2021, Tina was the driving force behind the formation of a new association committee to represent the interests of about 600 mainly non-constabulary members based at Piki Ki Te Ao, giving them the opportunity to lobby the association and send delegates to the annual conferences. 

In 2022, she became the first Police employee to be elected as a region director (Region 2, Auckland and Counties Manukau). 

Outside of work, family takes priority – husband Ed and children Carla, Jethro and Zach – alongside their dogs and spending time at local beaches and parks. She also plays touch rugby. 

Reflecting on her new role, Tina says she would never have imagined when she joined the association that a Police employee would be on the board of directors, let alone become a VP. “So, I do think doors have been opened for others to say, ‘I can do that’.”

It’s important for Police employees to be represented by an organisation that really understands the work they do, she says.