The New Zealand Bravery Decoration, NZBD, Part 4, R to Z.
Instituted in 1999 as part of a Government move to
replace British awards for gallantry with distinctive
New Zealand awards.
The New Zealand gallantry decoration replaced
The Queen’s Gallantry Medal,
The Air Force Cross and
The Air Force Medal.
Awarded for
“acts of exceptional bravery in situations of danger”
Kevin Lawrence ROONEY 2 April 2011
Constable NZP
Citation
On 7 May 2009, Constable Kevin Rooney was one to the first Police Officers to arrive at the scene of the fatal shooting of Senior Constable Len Snee, and the wounding of Mr Len Holmwood and Senior Constables Grant Diver and Bruce Miller, by Jan Molenaar in Chaucer Road South, Napier.
Though he was unarmed, Constable Rooney advanced into the immediate scene of the incident with several colleagues and, while under fire from Molenaar, located the position where the wounded Senior Constable Miller was lying.
As preparations were being made to move Senior Constable Miller from the scene, Constable Rooney covered part of Senior Constable Miller’s body with his own in order to shield him from further injury.
He then assisted in placing Senior Constable Miller into the vehicle, in which he was taken from the scene to a place of safety.
Constable Rooney then evacuated the scene with two other officers, withdrawing up Chaucer Road South to the intersection with Guys Hill Road, where a cordon had been established.
A number of shots were fired by the gunman in the direction of the cordon during the evacuation of Senior Constable Diver later that morning.
Constable Rooney played an important role in the events that took place on the morning of 7 May.
He displayed exceptional bravery and put his own life in danger during the successful evacuation of Senior Constable Miller from his exposed position near the gunman’s house, while under fire, by protecting Senior Constable Miller’s body with his own and then helping his colleague place the wounded officer in the car.
Warren Gilbert SLOSS 23 October 1999
Constable NZP
Citation:
On 12 October 1996, Constable Sloss responded to a call from a woman about the presence of her former boyfriend at her house.
After accompanying her there from another address, he followed her inside.
The boyfriend appeared from behind a door and attacked the woman with a large knife.
Constable Sloss intervened and was himself attacked with the knife.
The woman, who had suffered repeated blows from the knife in an attempt to kill her, was able to leave the house to get help, convinced that the Constable was about to be killed.
Constable Sloss was then engaged in a fight for his life, being stabbed three times in the back, once in the abdomen, once in the right forearm, and a serious injury to his left hand.
However, he succeeded in overpowering and handcuffing the man, before calling for assistance.
The Constable’s actions saved the life of the intended victim at the cost of his own severe injuries.
Blair John SPALDING 1 August 2016
Snr Constable NZP
Citation
On 25 August 2014, in Hamilton, a van was stolen by an offender with a history of violent crime and methamphetamine use.
Constable Blair Spalding (now Senior Constable) responded and pursued the van into a traffic-heavy road, where he attempted to pass to warn traffic ahead and create a buffer between civilian traffic and the van.
The van swerved into oncoming traffic to prevent Spalding from overtaking.
Given his knowledge of the offender’s propensity to carry firearms Constable Spalding deemed it an unacceptable risk to allow the van into the central city and pulled alongside the van, at which point it swerved and came into contact with Spalding’s Police dog van.
Spalding pushed the van off the road and across the footpath, before it broke free and continued along the street, eventually entering the carpark of a supermarket via the exit lane and colliding with a vehicle that was leaving.
The offender left the van carrying a loaded sawn-off shotgun.
Constable Spalding entered the car park and swung around to cut the offender off.
The offender, now on foot, ran into the side of the dog van before continuing and attempting to take another vehicle at gunpoint from an elderly woman at the supermarket’s petrol pumps.
Spalding exited his vehicle and encountered the offender grappling with Constable Benjamin Turner.
Spalding ran to assist and held one of the offender’s arms, while Turner restrained the other arm.
During the struggle, both barrels of the shotgun went off and Constable Spalding suffered a number of puncture wounds to his left foot and leg, while the offender caught ricochet pellets to his leg and torso.
The offender was properly restrained once another Police officer engaged the offender with his dog and handcuffs were able to be applied.
David TEMPLETON 14 October 2016
Sgt NZP
Citation
On 21 January 2003, following a bizarre mutilation of two women in the Thames area, the offender fled to South Auckland.
Once there, he shot and killed a man outside a cinema and restaurant complex, then left the scene in a motor vehicle.
Sergeant Templeton, then Senior Constable, was on duty with his police dog nearby and came across the offender fleeing the scene.
He reported the car and the circumstances to the Police Communications Centre, advising that he was pursuing the offender’s car.
When the offender realised that he was being pursued, he fired a number of shots from a semi-automatic weapon directly at Senior Constable Templeton and his vehicle, and several bullets hit the vehicle.
Initially, Senior Constable Templeton did not realise that he was being shot at, but once he did, he withdrew to what he considered to be a safe distance, while still reporting the offender’s movements.
Shortly afterwards, the offender slowed down and focused the laser telescopic sights of his firearm at Senior Constable Templeton’s head and face and again fired shots at him.
Fortunately, none of the shots hit the officer.
By this time, other police were involved in the pursuit of the offender, who then fled a short distance before breaking into a house nearby and taking two adults hostage for a number of hours before surrendering to the Armed Offenders Squad and Hostage Negotiation Team.
An investigation of the incident has since determined that Senior Constable Templeton was shot at on four separate occasions and that one of the bullets had hit his vehicle on the sill below the driver’s door, very close to where he had been sitting.
Senior Constable Templeton has also displayed bravery on other occasions.
Benjamin Patrick TURNER 1 August 2016
Constable NZP
Citation
On 25 August 2014 in Hamilton a van was stolen by an offender with a history of violent crime and methamphetamine use.
The Police pursued the vehicle, knowing that the offender had a propensity to carry firearms and deeming it an unacceptable risk to allow the van into the central city.
Police pursued the van to a supermarket carpark, where it collided with a civilian vehicle.
The offender then left the van carrying a loaded sawn-off shotgun.
Constable Ben Turner arrived at the supermarket carpark in a Police dog van and observed the offender attempt to take another vehicle at gunpoint from an elderly woman at the supermarket’s petrol pumps.
Fearing for the woman’s safety Constable Turner rushed over and grabbed the offender and dragged him away from her car.
Knowing the offender had the shotgun in his right hand, he swung the offender around by his left arm to keep him moving and off balance.
At that point, Constable Blair Spalding arrived and assisted Turner by holding the offender’s right arm.
Both barrels of the shotgun went off at this time and Constable Spalding suffered a number of puncture wounds to his left foot and leg, while the offender caught ricochet pellets to his leg and torso.
A Police dog handler arrived and set his dog on the offender, before supplying Constable Turner with handcuffs to restrain the violently struggling offender.
Michael Thomas WARDLE 2 December 2013
Sgt NZP
Citation
On 13 July 2010, during the course of an arrest at a private property, an armed offender opened a bedroom door and shot a Police officer in the face, and also shot and fatally wounded Police dog Gage.
A constable dragged the wounded officer by his belt down the hallway and out of immediate danger.
At the same time, the offender came to his bedroom doorway and shot another officer, who was running to escape through a bathroom window.
The offender then aimed his rifle directly at Constable Wardle (now Sergeant), and started to walk towards him.
Constable Wardle fired his taser at the offender who attempted to shoot him, but his rifle jammed.
The Police officers retreated outside.
The offender followed them, and again aimed his rifle at Constable Wardle, who stood his ground and maintained a position between him and the other officers.
George William WHITE 14 October 2006
Sgt NZP
Citation
On 17 and 18 January 2005, there was a riot at Yandina in the Solomon Islands during an industrial dispute.
On 17 January, Constable Ngakina Jane Bertrand had been assaulted during an incident and Sergeant White, then an acting inspector, together with another officer went to her assistance, using pepper spray to force a number of strikers to withdraw.
They were punched and kicked while doing so.
An arrested person was placed in the police cells after which some 300 angry strikers attempted to storm the police station.
After several hours of skirmishing with the strikers, the latter were pushed back to the market area and talked into staying there to allow the police to process the prisoner, who was bailed once calm had been restored.
The following day (18 January) at about 10.30 a.m., large rocks were propelled at police lines, which were preventing access to the wharf area where copra was being loaded.
Peace was restored temporarily but a riot developed at about 11.30 a.m. police lines were attacked, as was the police station.
Every police officer present received injuries from rocks and one Royal Solomon Island police member received a large rock though his shield and helmet visor, which knocked him out, broke his nose and cut his forehead.
Tear gas and pepper spray were both deployed at this stage, with some 500 rioters being present.
By 3.30 p.m., the rioters had been pushed back from the police station and the ship had departed, however, the police by now had no more tear gas and were low on pepper spray.
On 19 January, a list of identifiable offenders was compiled and arrests were made, resulting in some 150 strikers coming back to confront the police station.
After a long stand-off and some negotiations, a number of people gave themselves up to police and by early afternoon the number of arrests had risen to 57.
These prisoners were successfully removed from Yandina, after which the police spent the rest of the day out in the community talking to people, trying to settle the situation down to ensure their own safety, the safety of the local Royal Solomon Island police members and those workers who had tried to load the ship.
Throughout these incidents, Sergeant White displayed exceptional bravery and leadership in the face of an overwhelming number of rioters armed with slingshots and rocks.
He co-ordinated defensive positions as well as leading repeated forays made up of untrained Royal Solomon Island police personnel against the rioters, in efforts to disperse them.
His leadership, determination and resolve over the two days of rioting led to the successful quelling of the riots and the arrest of over 50 offenders.
The police response was undertaken with very limited manpower and resources, without respite for rest or replenishment and in circumstances which had the potential for the loss of life.
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