Albert Lin, The Merit Times staff writer
September 12, 2023

On September 7th, New Zealand Police introduced a newly decorated and dedicated vehicle for the diverse New Zealand communities. The launch of the community car was celebrated at the Commissioner’s Ethnic Focus Forum held at Counties Manukau Police Station.

New Zealand Police introduced a newly decorated and dedicated vehicle for the diverse New Zealand communities. photo／The Life News Agency

On the afternoon of that day at 2 o'clock, Officer Kevin Deng of the Police Ethnic Services led members of the police's Asian liaison officers and media team to shoot a promotional video for this new car. The first location chosen by the New Zealand Police for the shoot was the Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Buddhist Temple New Zealand. Venerable Ru Lian, Superintendent of FGS Buddhist Temple New Zealand, along with the President of Buddha's Light International Association (BLIA) NZ North Island, Yu Ling Gu, and subchapter presidents Wang Shu Juan and Wang Hui Yu, were there to welcome them.

Subchapter president Wang Hui Yu introduced the FGS Buddhist Temple New Zealand. photo／The Life News Agency

The Police Ethnic Services team has been identified as requiring a suitable vehicle in line with the Pirihimana (Māori), Va'a (Pasifika) and Rainbow (Pride) vehicles in the police diversity fleet.

This Hyundai Ioniq 5, electric vehicle was selected for the new livery as the community engagement vehicle for Ethnic Services staff based in Tamaki Makaurau.

The livery on the car which depicts the word ‘hello’ in 75 of the more-than 170 different languages spoken by our ethnic communities in New Zealand. It reflects the diversity within New Zealand Police and the respect for those in our community who have English as their second language.

The vehicle will help increase trust and confidence through inclusion, consultation and recruitment. It acknowledges our multicultural communities that live here within our borders.

Commissioner of Police Andrew Coster said that this new community car showcases their dedication and commitment to the diverse communities. photo／The Life News Agency

Commissioner of Police Andrew Coster said: “We hope this new community car, which is a part of our Police fleet showcases our dedication and commitment to the diverse communities we serve.

"This car symbolises our ongoing commitment to inclusion consultation and recruitment by valuing diversity, which is one of our core policing values as an organization.”

This vehicle serves as a tool that will support New Zealand Police when our staff are out engaging with our ethnic communities, which is comprised of over 230 ethnicities.

By using this electric vehicle (EV) Police continues to cut down our emissions while fulfilling carbon reduction targets. This vehicle fits within existing project funding due to it being an EV. An existing EV from Waitemata District fleet pool was repurposed for this project.

The car is part of a wider fleet involved in the electrification project. The expectation is this car, along with the others in our fleet will reduce carbon emissions by around 176.1 tonnes annually. This aligns with global policing innovations and modernizes and transforms our fleet while seeking to meet our carbon reduction targets.

The Police Media Centre was impressed by their visit to the FGS Buddhist Temple New Zealand. During the filming process, they captured the unique Buddhist architecture of the FGS Buddhist Temple New Zealand. Key highlights of the shoot included the lush Path to Buddhahood, garden landscaping, and representatives of Buddhist religious masters. In the end, the Police Media Centre successfully completed the promotional video shoot.

The Police Media Centre was impressed by their visit to the FGS Buddhist Temple New Zealand. photo／The Life News Agency

Venerable Ru Lian invited the filming team to participate in the Cherry Blossom Festival event scheduled for November. Officer Kelvin mentioned that during that time, the "Goodwill Ambassador" police car would once again visit the temple.