Wellington’s top cop on policing a ‘vibrant’ and evolving city

Saturday, 2 November 2024

Perhaps best known for his roles in the response to the Christchurch earthquake, the March 15 terror attack and the Parliament occupation, Superintendent Corrie Parnell is now Wellington District Commander.

After more than three decades in the police force, life is showing no signs of slowing down for Superintendent Corrie Parnell, who recently welcomed his first grandchild. Although he’s held the position of Wellington District Commander for just over five years now, Parnell is still discovering something new about the capital every other day.

You’re not a born and bred Wellingtonian - how did you end up living and working here?

I whakapapa back to Ōtautahi Christchurch and all of my whānau is still there. I’d probably reached the end of the line in terms of my policing career there, so the attraction of Wellington was to come here and see what they had in terms of opportunities. So when the vacancy for district commander came up, I put my name in the hat and was fortunate enough to get the job.

How did you find life here at first?

The first 12 months took a bit of ‘test and adjust’, not least because we were hot into Covid. I was not only learning a new role, but getting used to a new city as well. I also started out living at a motel while my wife got stuck back in Christchurch trying to sell our family home during the lockdowns. Then accommodation became a premium and aspirations of buying into Wellington became problematic, so I ended up renting. It was a nice period down in Island Bay.

What part of Wellington do you live in, and why?

Parnell’s district covers the Chatham Islands, over to Wairarapa, the Kāpiti Coast, Hutt Valley and Wellington CBD, bringing a diversity to the work that Parnell does.

I live out Kāpiti Coast way. We have a wee four legged border terrier friend, and anything short of 5k a day of exercise doesn’t play so well with her, so it’s a great area for giving her a regular walk. What centres me is the outdoors, and we regularly go further up the coast line and over to Wairarapa. Five years on, there’s still always something new for me to explore.

What do you love about living in Wellington?

It’s such a vibrant place, and is totally different to where I’m from in Canterbury. The inner-city has seen quite a change in the five years I’ve been here post-Covid, but for me it’s still maintained the variety. There’s so much happening everyday here in the CBD. Even just this week, the first of the cruise ships came back in and you could feel the vibrancy of that.

You - clearly - have a very stressful job, what do you do to unwind?

The decompress part is critical. For me, it’s a basic recipe - sleep, eat and exercise in good measure. I’m an active relaxer, so for me that might translate to gardening or walking. A favourite walk of ours is the Pāuatahanui Inlet and the Camborne walkway. You’ll regularly see me there.

Policing the capital city also means that Parnell meets all of the Royal New Zealand Police College graduates, who often remind him why he joined the police force in the first place - “that sense of service and ultimately serving something that’s greater than me”.

What would your perfect Saturday morning look like?

No two weekends are the same. I try to do a lot of travel around Wellington itself, and am always exploring around the wider North Island. I do a lot of running as well, so on a Saturday morning I’m usually doing a park run somewhere around the motu. I’m part of Achilles, so every second week I’ll be running with them. Achilles is a group that supports less-able runners - some of them might be blind, for example - which is really neat and rewarding.

Who would your nominee for Wellingtonian of the Year be?

It would probably go right back to when I was first interviewed for my role here. A significant iwi leader here is Kura Moeahu, who was not only on the interview panel the first day I arrived but also welcomed me to Waiwhetū marae. There aren’t many weeks where I wouldn’t touch point with either Ngāti Toa or Te Āti Awa or Kura. For me, just Kura’s mere presence and mana, his stewardship and guidance and knowing I can always get some guidance from him make him the standout. We’ve also got four wāhine toa from Tawa College here in Wellington in the White Ferns, who should get a special mention after winning the T20 World Cup - Sophie Devine, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, and Georgia Plimmer.

What’s the biggest challenge that comes with policing the capital?

The opportunity presented by the fact it’s the capital city is probably the main thing. We’ve got 1000 staff here, so it’s not a small show, and we cover very diverse communities. As district commander, I cover the Chatham Islands, over to Wairarapa, Hutt Valley as well as the Kāpiti Coast and Wellington CBD. You’ve also got a big international footprint here, with about 80 embassies, and the government of the day is based here. What all of that equates to is that you have a theatre that’s under the watchful eye of lots of things. But while it has its challenges, I’d suggest there’s far more opportunity. It’s an absolute privilege to serve such a special place, and there’s not a day goes by that I don’t love getting out and doing my job.