Te Pāti Māori are calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Police racial profiling of Māori. This comes off the back of three significant findings in the last few days that shines a spotlight on the way Māori are treated when they come to the attention of the police.

“We have seen three major issues come about in the last few days; Operation Tauwhiro aimed at preventing firearms-related incidents - targeting Māori; Police illegally photographing our rangatahi – targeting Māori and the admission by Police that they use pain to subdue Māori more than any other ethnicity”, says Rawiri Waititi, Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader.

“The Ministry will tell you that the Tauwhiro Operation is aimed at organised crime. Organised crime is a fancy word for gangs. Māori make up the highest gang population. It is targeted at my people.

“The Ministry today, categorically denied that there is any form of racial-profiling of Māori in Aotearoa. They lied.

“How can we expect a fair justice system when the Ministry continues to disregard their contribution to the problem?

“The police are given an incredible amount of freedom to make decisions at their discretion and there-in lies the problem. If a member of the police force is inherently racist, he or she will always use their discretion to punish Māori.

“Our people do not stand a chance against the might of the crown when they are being intentionally targeted just because they are brown and they definitely don’t stand a chance when the Ministry continues to turn a blind eye to systemic racism that is happening right under their nose.

“We demand answers. We deserve to know how the Ministry has allowed racial profiling to occur and what their plan is to address it” said Mr Waititi.

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