Whānau first always: Police farewell Tairāwhiti area commander Sam Aberahama

Story supplied by NZ Police

When retiring Tairāwhiti area commander Sam Aberahama was a child he saw a lot of police. 

They were often at his house taking his dad away after another violent outburst. 

Police gave him and his whānau a safe place to remain and in those early years he decided he wanted, one day, to be part of that. 

Thirty-six years later he has retired from a career full of keeping people safe. 

He has been one of the longest-serving area commanders in the country after leading Tairāwhiti for 14 years. 

Aberahama joined the NZ police in 1988 in Wing 112 and started on the beat in Ōtāhuhu. 

He had a love for the community from the outset. 

“I knew all the local shopkeepers, I knew where all the scones were being baked and where to stop for morning tea,” Aberahama said. 

Six months later he worked in a busy Ōtara, attending a lot of family violence incidents and arresting many offenders. 

“I carried a lot of hurt for family violence victims and families because of what I had been through, so much so that I was arresting everyone, but I knew just arresting them didn’t help.” 

He realised he had to find another way to channel his anger. 

After several years in Manurewa/Papakura and Auckland city as a detective and detective sergeant working on many high-profile cases, Aberahama headed home to Hawke’s Bay as a detective sergeant. 

Over the next decade, Aberahama was promoted up the ranks to detective inspector and crime manager. 

During his time in Hawke’s Bay, Aberahama did a lot of work with Pacific Island communities. 

“One of their priorities was addressing family violence. I listened and started to look at it through a different lens. Instead of just arresting the perpetrators, I saw there is usually a bigger problem that needs to be solved.” 

These insights from working with the community stood him in good stead when he was asked in 2009 to head up to Tairāwhiti as relieving area commander, and the next year he applied for and was appointed the Tairāwhiti area commander. 

“When I arrived we did a lot of work to develop relationships within the community and understand exactly what was going on and what their needs were.” 

It was challenging and he quickly learned to open his mind and his heart to understand what was important for the community and how police could work with them to achieve goals which were not just crime-related. 

“I was fortunate to be in a position where I could influence some change and work on problem-solving approaches to deal with issues in communities.” 

In 2020 he became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for his service to New Zealand police and the community in the New Year Honours List. 

Aberahama’s citation listed his leadership of a host of community organisations and projects, partnerships and mentoring, including the Nga Ara Pai programme, which has had an 80% success rate in helping at-risk youth get their restricted and full driver’s licence; the Te Hāhi partnership with churches; and a range of other harm prevention initiatives. 

Aberahama said he would be forever grateful to the network of kuia and kaumatua who walked alongside him and kept him safe during his time in Tairāwhiti. 

“What has been huge for me is opening my mind and listening and understanding other perspectives because there is absolute strength in that.” 

“Everyone is different and it’s how we bring our strengths together.” 

Aberahama has tremendous respect for his amazing police staff and empowering them has been a real focus of his time as area commander. 

“We have amazing people in police. They come to work every day to give their best. My role as a leader has been to enable them to be their best.” 

Aberahama’s heart has always been in the community and with his whānau, and it’s whānau that were his motivation to leave. 

“I will certainly miss the people but when you decide to take that next step in life you celebrate that chapter and look forward to what’s next. 

“I still have plenty of energy and look forward to leaning in and helping where I can.”