Debate On Crown Entities, Public Organisations, And State Enterprises

In Committee

Te Ururoa Flavell, Maori Party MP for Waiariki

Tuesday 26 June 2012; 8.35pm

The Māori Party enters this debate with the clear line that we took to the polls last year when we sought to disestablish the Independent Police Conduct Authority. We believe that the public needs to have trust and confidence in the New Zealand Police and, unfortunately, recent history has not enabled that to occur.

I have to say that I have got great admiration for the job the police do, having been out with them, but, unfortunately, some issues have been really testing that admiration. In fact, our full trust and confidence in the police is actually at an all-time low. Recent surveys have reported 28 percent of New Zealanders have full trust and confidence in the New Zealand Police. Whether it is perception or practice, this is about the fragile trust and confidence that New Zealanders have in our police force.

I would have to say that the financial review that we have in front of us, or at least I have in front of me, is not all that flash. The report of the Law and Order Committee revealed that there was a deficit of $538,000 in the 2010-11 year and, despite a goal of inspecting 30 detention facilities during the year, the authority managed about 20 The number of open files is still quite high. In 2011 there remained 584 open files.

So the Māori Party believes every New Zealander has the right to expect trust, accountability, and transparency out of the Independent Police Conduct Authority, and we are mindful of the observations of Transparency International that “The numerous agencies in government responsible for minimising corruption represent a problem. … There should be fewer, more centralised, controlling agencies.”

It was in light of that that the Māori Party called for a single anti-corruption commission, which might bring together the Independent Police Conduct Authority, the Serious Fraud Office , the Judicial Conduct Commissioner, the Judicial Conduct Panel, and even the investigative functions of the State Services Commission .

It is a real worry that in the financial review there is comment that the authority has had to rely on staff taking on extra work in order to meet its responsibilities. Something, I think, is terribly wrong if the workload does not appear to have been reduced. There is a significant deficit return and some work simply is not getting done.

A particular concern for us is related to the responsibilities of the authority to issue its report into the activities of what has now become known as the Tūhoe raids back in October 2007. Five years on it is a miscarriage of justice that the State agent established to report on matters such as this has still not offered up its report.

When I asked questions of the former Minister of Police last October, the response from Minister Collins was that in the interests of justice, that report would not be public until the court case had been completed. Well, as the local MP, I am pretty disappointed that the reports into the treatment suffered by the people living in and around the Ruātoki valley have not seen the light of day—both the Independent Police Conduct Authority report, as well as the Human Rights Commission report.

The violations of human rights that occurred on 15 October 2007 have cast a real sad and wide shadow over this nation, and it is my belief—it is the Māori Party belief—that it is time that the events of that day were exposed for all to see.

Finally, there is a headline comment made in the report of the Law and Order Committee about the role of the New Zealand Police and the Independent Police Conduct Authority that these two organisations are “on a ‘parallel path’ towards ensuring public confidence in policing.” If that is really the case, then I would hope that there is someone listening who might have some courage to have those reports issued so that all New Zealanders then can make up their minds. Kia ora tātou.

ENDS

© Scoop Media