After an incredible 47-year journey with the New Zealand Police, Lehi Hohaia (Waikato), a former Māori All Black and long-serving Iwi Liaison Coordinator in Rotorua, was celebrated last night by hundreds of whānau, leaders, and colleagues. His retirement marks the end of a remarkable career and places him in an exclusive group of officers to serve for over four decades.
His legacy, grounded in service, aroha, and unwavering commitment to iwi and community, was acknowledged with an emotional haka.
During his time, Hohaia was instrumental in fostering a productive relationship between the police and Local Iwi, as well as leading Drug Harm and Alcohol Impairment Education programs. Reflecting on his long tenure, Lehi Hohaia spoke about the challenging yet necessary aspects of the job.
“I worked on some harrowing murders in the country, you know, a near glassy child little baby, and that was pretty sad,” Hohaia shared. “And at the end of the day, you know, we’ve got a job to do and to do the best for our victims.”
Hohaia also spoke about making way for the next generation. Referring to a specialist role, he said, “I was an arm defender for 10 years and the boss said there you’ll know when you’re ready to finish, and I like after being on there for 10 years, I said nah give it time for the young fellows.” He concluded his thoughts on his career, noting, “It’s about working with whānau, it’s about communities, and it’s for all those things that, you know, this place like Rotorua should be ticking like.”
Former Deputy Commissioner Wallace Haumaha praised his long-time colleague and cousin, highlighting the immense dedication Hohaia brought to his role.
“Forty-seven years is a long, you know, a long hall for anyone in this organisation, particularly when you have witnessed everything from the cradle to the grave,” Haumaha said. “So Lehi has seen it all and he’s done it all and a lot of it he’s done his way.”
Haumaha outlined the breadth of Hohaia’s work, which included some of the organisation’s most difficult cases. “He worked on the most complex of cases—serious fraud cases, child abuse cases, in the whole lot of other issues—but in the latter part of his career, the last quarter of his career he took on the role as area Māori liaison officer throughout the Wairariki district.”
Haumaha stressed the impact of Hohaia’s commitment to the community. “Didn’t matter what time of day or night, he made himself available. And those are the special things where a police officer goes above and beyond the call of his duty and knows that if he’s called by our people he’s really needed and they could rely on him, so that’s gonna leave a big massive gap here.”
E rere ana ngā mihi i ngā hoa mahi
Ko ngā kōrero a tōna hoamahi, a Pirihīmana Chris Summerville, i whakanui i te mana me te tauira i roto i te ope pirihimana.
“He nui tōna mana i roto i ngā pirihimana, Ko ia te tangata i whakatikatika ngā raru i te wā o te pōuri, i te wā o te whawhai, te wā te Pakanga i te wā ko te mātenga i roto i ngā iwi o roto i ngā hapori.”
“Ko ia te tino tauira o ngā tāngata Māori i roto i ngā pirimana, tēnei te rā whakanui whakamana me whakamihi ki a ia.”