Paul rejoined the Rotary Club of Tawa in May 2001, having previously been a member some years earlier. In his Rotary career Paul has held a variety of positions on the Board, and during this time has been in charge of several large local and international projects on behalf of the Tawa Rotary Club. Paul was a recipient of the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Award.
In conjunction with the NZ Police, Paul coordinated the project that sent 15,000 books to schools in Bougainville. Before all this, Paul had been a member of Newlands Lions for 10 years and was president for 18 months, in 1987-1989. As with his contribution to Rotary, Paul made a big impact with the Newlands Lions Club - completion of clubrooms, organising youth dances, as well as a van for disabled children.
Paul won representative rugby league honours with Wellington, the North Island and the NZ police while playing for the Wellington Marist Club. He played an international match against France in 1964. After his playing days, Paul managed the NZ Police league team on their four-week tour of England in 1998. Interestingly, Paul played in the first rugby league game to be televised. He scored a try that day but was concussed during the match. His love of statistics was always evident and he completed a statistics booklet for the 21st anniversary of the Marist Club. He also co-edited the club history produced as part of Marist Northern's golden jubilee.
Paul had a distinguished career with the NZ Police, which he joined as a 19-year-old cadet in 1958, retiring forty years later with the rank of Superintendent. He started his career working in Newtown and Taranaki Street Police Stations and was promoted to Sergeant in the Wellington Prosecutions Office. Paul obtained a law degree and was admitted as a barrister and solicitor. In the mid-1980s he became a Chief Inspector in the legal section in National Headquarters, and later be-came responsible for the management and co-ordination of the NZ Police training programme in the Pacific region. Other highlights of his career include: being a UN peacekeeper in Cyprus, representing the Police at many conferences in the Northern Hemisphere and Pacific Is-land countries, developing prosecution training and improving standards of Police prosecutions, managing the implementation of the Police Complaints Authority Act, and researching, drafting and presenting Police submissions at Royal Commissions and before numerous parliamentary committees.
Paul was also a president of the Tawa Probus Club in 2013. He resigned from Tawa Rotary earlier in 2018 and was made an Honorary member at Changeover that year.
Paul Mears, pictured with his family and Governor-General, Hon Sir Anand Satyanand and Lady Susan Satyanand, received a Paul Harris Fellow Award in 2009 for his service as a long-time member of the Rotary Club of Tawa.
Paul MEARS - Death Notice
MEARS, Paul Joseph:
(retired New Zealand Police Superintendent) Of Tawa, 1939 – 2019. On 26 February 2019, peacefully at Mary Potter Hospice surrounded by his family, aged 79 years. Treasured and much loved husband of Gabrielle. Dearly loved father and father-in-law of Brendan, Bernadette and John, Josette, and Vivienne. Respected Grandfather of Sam, James, Dillon, Hannah, Ashleigh, Taylah, Emily, and Lucy. Loved by his brother Peter, sister Maria, and late brother Phillip. In lieu of flowers, donations to Mary Potter Hospice would be appreciated and may be left at the Mass.
May He Rest In Peace.
Friends are invited to attend Paul's Requiem Mass at the Church of Our Lady of Fatima, corner Lyndhurst and Main Roads, Tawa, on Monday, 4 March 2019, at 11.00am, thereafter followed by a Private Cremation.