IF THE CAP FITS… - New Zealand Police Association

PoliceNewsThe Voice of PoliceIsland on the wrong side of the DC10. Yet thoseon the flight deck seem to have failed to see it.Mount ErebusHad the flight crew seen what passengershad seen and photographed, they would havetaken immediate evasive action, because ifyou are looking at this Nunatuk sticking upon the right hand side of the aircraft, you areheading straight into Mt Erebus.This is perhaps the biggest mystery of allbecause this huge edifice sticks up out of thewhiteness like a lone beacon. Thus drawingyour attention to it in a most compellingmanner. Moreover, it has a very distinctiveshape, ensuring that no veteran traveler toAntarctica could ever miss it.Could it be then, that NZ901 was flying “clearand clear” but contrary to VFR, the crew wereconcentrating their attention only to the leftside, and making assumptions about familiarobstacles being “whited out in the distance” or“obscured by cloud”?Alpine and Antarctic travelers never makeassumptions about crevasses. Makingassumptions about whiteouts is equallydangerous, as history attests.Doing it from an aeroplane would beunfathomable!Horst Maczuga awarded Bill Murray Awardfor tireless work on behalf of membersHorst Maczuga has been awarded the PoliceAssociation’s prestigious Bill Murray Awardfor his service to members over a lengthyperiod.Horst, who started work as an instructor atthe Royal NZ Police College in March 1985,quickly gained a reputation and thousandsof members of Police have enjoyed coursesrun by Horst in the interim.As soon as membership of the Associationwas open to non-sworn staff in 1992, Horstjoined up.Not only did he become one of the first nonswornmembers of the Police Associationbut he also joined the local committee whenthe rules were changed to allow the PoliceCollege to have their own one. Previously,College staff had been represented byPorirua/Kapiti Mana.ReplacementIn 2000, when Moira Brown moved toGisborne, she nominated Horst as herreplacement to chair the meetings of theCollege committee. Horst has held theposition of committee chairperson sincethen.Being a non-sworn member in a large Policeworksite dominated by sworn membershas never been an issue for Horst. Hevery quickly established a reputation asan excellent chairperson and developedinto one of the leading chairpersons in thecountry.Horst was a born marketer. He got theAssociation message out at the Collegevia posters, which featured the names ofcommittee members. He also encouraged,persuaded and cajoled staff into joiningthe committee and ensured representationacross the whole College, including the ICTwork areas. This meant that each area hadits own voice at committee level, therebyensuring intervention by the Associationwhere required.Wing representationHorst also introduced memberrepresentation to each wing and ensuredthey elected their own Police Associationcommittee member, meaning the newrecruits were part of the debate aroundpolicing issues.He saw the role of chairperson as one ofinvolvement, participation and inclusionand he regularly attended WellingtonRegional meetings and also took timeto attend the Association’s reps’ trainingseminars.Horst also brought a unique ‘flavour’ toAGM’s – his food themed meeting seeingHorst rolling out American apple pie andhot dogs.His ability to keep a confidence, set highstandards and to regularly encourageothers has endeared him to many members.Many felt he would be well placed as adelegate, representing the College at PoliceAssociation national meetings but Horstencouraged others to take on this role whilehe beavered away at grassroots level as acommittee chairperson.Range of skillsHorst’s advocacy skills, willingness to backthe underdog, good humour and strongsense of justice have combined to resolveissues and, on occasion, save members’jobs.Whilst Horst was never afraid to challengesenior Police personnel on an issue onbehalf of members. He also possessed finejudgement in knowing which issues neededreferral to National Office staff, a FieldOfficer or the Regional Director.Association President, Greg O’Connor, saidthat Horst’s award was to mark the work ofan “exemplary chairperson and Associationstalwart who had toiled long and hard tobenefit members on a wide range of issues.”He said the commitment shown by HorstMaczuga “epitomised” the values, whichBill Murray originally espoused and thePolice Association stand for.• Horst Maczuga, who received the BillMurray Award for his service to PoliceAssociation members.Have you moved recently?If you have moved or perhaps are aboutto, please let us know so we can updateyour records.You can do this by:• writing to us at PO Box 12344;• calling us on free phone0800 500 122;• faxing us on (04) 496 6819; or• Emailing us at;membership@policeassn.org.nzYou need to let us know yourmembership number, new address andif you’re a serving member - your newstation.152August 2007