5. TE URUROA FLAVELL (Māori Party—Waiariki) Link to this
to the Minister of Police
He aha ngā āhuatanga kua whakaritea mō tētahi tohunga nō waho ki te uru mai ki te whakawā, ki te whakamātautau tāngata e tono ana hei Pirihimana, kia tino mōhiotia ai tō rātou kaha aro mai ki te āhua o ngā Māori?
[What provision has been made for independent expert advice on the testing and assessment of people who apply to join the police, to ensure that responsiveness to Māori is actively taken into account?]
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Police) Link to this
Independent expert advice is being provided by Dr Dave George. That advice is focused on the processes and procedures used by the New Zealand Police to determine minimum standards, assessment methods, and the consistent application of methods. Dr George is reviewing all relevant information, and is due to report at the end of the month.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
What recourse does a young Māori applicant from Rotorua have, a man who graduated from a bridging course for entry to the police force in 2005, and passed all the requirements to enter the Police College, yet was refused entry on the grounds that the police have information about a drug allegation involving him, which is an allegation the whānau rejects absolutely, an allegation that he has never been charged with or convicted of, and an allegation that the police have refused to supply evidence about, on the grounds that it would “amount to an unwarranted disclosure of the other individual’s affairs”?
I understand that the member has been spoken to about this issue by Superintendent Wally Haumaha, and knows that the police are looking at it. The issues are being worked through, and the police say they will soon be at the end of that process.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
Is it acceptable that Megan Welch, a recruitment manager in the office of the Commissioner of Police, has confirmed that she “contacted the officer who had made the noting regarding drugs. He couldn’t remember him and didn’t know of him. I then spoke to other officers who knew the applicant, and they advised that he is not the type to be involved with drugs. The applicant advised that he knew nothing about the noting and was not, and never had been, involved with drugs. I accepted his statement.”; and how can the Minister provide any reassurance that Māori applicants receive a just and fair hearing when they apply to enter the Police College?
The New Zealand Police takes seriously all applications but also checks out all applications. That member would be quick to his feet to question our allowing a person who was not up to standard to join the New Zealand Police. However, I am also aware the member has been spoken to by Superintendent Wally Haumaha about this issue. The process is working its way through, and the member will be informed of the outcome. I can say no more than that about it, at this stage. In fact, I know that the member has more information about it than he is letting on in the House today.
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
What is the Minister’s reaction to the finding in Police Perceptions of Maori that one in seven officers who were questioned specifically disagreed with the proposal to recruit more Māori, and over one in five disagreed with the proposal to promote more Māori; and how does she suggest such attitudes can be addressed?
The recruitment of men and women for the New Zealand Police is carried out by people qualified and trained to undertake that recruitment. Although neither the member nor I can be held responsible for the individual attitudes of some members of the police, or the public, I do know there is an active campaign to recruit Māori, Pacific people, and Asian people, so that the New Zealand Police more reflects the face of the public that it wishes to police.
Ron MarkIs it not a fact that a very senior Māori police officer currently is not being employed by the New Zealand Police, and is waiting to hear—in fact, the entire nation is waiting to hear—whether he will be reinstated; and can the Minister tell the House why the department has not done any work at all in advancing settlement of the position of Assistant Police Commissioner Clint Rickards in terms of whether he will return to work or be released from the service? Why has it not done anything?
First of all, the member knows that the Minister of Police has no responsibility for the employment of individual officers. Secondly, the member is incorrect in saying that absolutely nothing has happened in the case of Assistant Police Commissioner Rickards. The department is working through the process, and it is near completion. But the department does have to work through the process. There is a process in place. It is many years old. The member also knows that I announced in this House changes to regulations around the New Zealand Police, so that the way we employ police and discipline them will change from the position that has existed for many decades.