A police officer who has dedicated her career to supporting her community has been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours.
Senior Constable Terri Middleton, a School Community Officer based in Greymouth on the West Coast, has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for Services to New Zealand Police and the community.
In 34 years in Police, Terri's work has included work with young people in and out of school, victims of child abuse and family harm, in drug education, Blue Light and inside the Gloriavale community (citation below).
Today Commissioner Richard Chambers led the congratulations.
"I congratulate Terri on this fantastically well-deserved honour," he says.
"I'm absolutely delighted to see her awesome work in her community recognised at the highest level.
"It is impossible to count the lives Terri has changed for the better, or quantify the harm prevented by her engagement with some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
"I'm proud of the great work our people do every day to support their communities and, as a former Tasman District Commander, especially proud to see this honour go to a Tasman colleague who exemplifies the very best of community policing."
Terri says she is humbled and deeply honoured.
"It is a privilege to be involved in so many people's life experiences," she says.
"I am passionate about helping people and trying to make a difference and for this to happen you need to be well supported by others."
She thanks her Police Leadership Team, her colleagues and her family.
"I very much want to thank them as I know it isn't easy for any family to have a police officer in the mix - there are definitely some challenges. I very much appreciate their love and support as I couldn't do my job without them."
CITATION
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit
For Services to New Zealand Police and the community.
Senior Constable Terri Middleton
Terri Middleton joined New Zealand Police in 1991 in Greymouth, spending nine years as an interviewer and investigating child abuse, and as the West Coast School Community Officer since 2002.
Ms Middleton has been instrumental in delivering education and prevention initiatives into all West Coast schools, as well as volunteering thousands of hours to local organisations, sporting clubs and charity events.
She has introduced numerous initiatives over and above her School Community Officer role including Youth Boot Camps, life skills programmes and others, intensive programmes requiring considerable coordination.
More recently, she has been a driving force for a Prevention First Drug Education across the region, both within schools and the broader community. She has chaired the West Coast Blue Light branch since 2010 and is the West Coast Health and Safety Area Representative for the Police Association and Welfare Officer.
She developed Te Wa Maaku in 2021, a community approach to help women exposed to family harm through fitness and wellbeing.
In 2015, Ms Middleton initiated engagement with the school principal of Gloriavale Christian Community that led to a multi-agency response of active engagement with Gloriavale, enabling her to build trust and co-deliver a range of initiatives that would otherwise have not been introduced to the young people of the community.
