Police in Marlborough have appointed an iwi liaison officer to provide advice on cultural issues, as well as developing relationships with the eight tribes in the region and collecting intelligence on criminal investigations.
Detective Sam Hedley - who grew up in Marlborough and has well established links with the Maori community - was appointed at a ceremony on Monday, 18 February.
Detective Hedley said he expects to be actively involved in implementing a new police strategy called Turning of the Tide.
That involves trying to modify behaviour of Maori to reduce the number of offences they commit, as well as reduce the number of Maori who are victims of crime.
The strategy also aims to break the cycle that sees Maori being over-represented in criminal justice system statistics.
Detective Hedley said one of his goals is to be more engaged with young Maori in the Marlborough region and foster a cultural awareness among them.
