As a child, Vitale Lafaele survived the dawn raids of the 1970s and other challenges experienced by Pasifika immigrants of the time. Later, he spent seven years in the SAS and, after joining the police, had distinguished spells in the armed offenders squad and special tactics group (formerly the anti-terrorist squad), among other demanding roles. In his time, he successfully oversaw the rescue of three people who had been taken hostage by a gunman.
By 2014, he was on track to becoming the country’s first Pasifika district commander. But a piece of paper handed to him across a desk later that year brought a stunning career and personal trajectory to a sudden and shattering halt.
Lafaele’s family moved from Samoa to the Auckland suburb of Grey Lynn when he was 2. Now, the upmarket enclave of renovated villas is home to media, political and business luminaries. Back then, it was a working-class community with factories and workshops providing employment for the Lafaeles and other migrants. They have long since been replaced by bars and cafes as far as the eye can see.
It was the typical migrant experience, a journey into the unknown. “They didn’t have Google, they couldn’t speak the language, and they went on this voyage,”
