Fo Guang Shan (North Island) Venerable Abbess Manshin is invited to the NZ Royal Police College Wing 261 Graduation Dinner

In early February this year, Fo Guang Shan (North Island) Venerable Abbess Manshin accepted the patronage of the Police Recruit 261 Wing and has since been invited twice to attend the Police Inspection Parades in Wellington. On 8 June, the Abbess was invited again to Wellington to attend a series of graduation activities and the Formal Graduation Dinner for Wing 261 and this time she was accompanied by Venerable Manwang, Venerable Juexi (South Island) and 2 other North Island members.

An afternoon tea reception for the VIPs and the Police Officers was held before the formal dinner which was held in the NZ Royal Police College. The formal dinner was held in the traditional British Royal Police format, which included Scottish Bagpipes, a toast to the Queen and to the Royal Police Officers. The ceremony has a very special significance to the Police Force and was a unique opportunity for the guests to witness the solemn ceremony of a Royal Police Graduation Dinner.

Other guests who attended the dinner included Deputy Police Commissioner, Rob Pope; Superintendent Wallace Haumaha; Superintendent Mike Wilson, the chairperson for the dinner; Inspector Lindsay Duncan; Sergeant Christopher Blanchard; attending Police Officers and the graduating members of Wing 261. Deputy Police Commissioner Rob Pope gave a speech where he shared his experiences of handling different situations as a Police Officer. His witty and humorous speech had gained laughter and applause from the guests and definitely boosted the confidence and enthusiasm of the newly graduated police officers. The three-hour dinner ended with a heartwarming atmosphere.

We wish the new police officers all the best in their future endeavors.