MIL OSI

Hundreds visited Auckland Art Gallery over the weekend to view more than 60 works by 42 Chinese artists that included photography, sculptures, installations, moving images and new media.

Titled Forever Tomorrow: Chinese Art Now, the exhibition is the first major survey of Chinese contemporary art displayed in Auckland on this scale.

The exhibition features work by some of China’s best-known contemporary artists, including Ai Weiwei, Xu Zhen, Xiao Lu and Cao Fei, alongside artists exhibiting in New Zealand for the first time.

Among the key works is Ai Weiwei’s Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, a photographic series capturing an act of deliberate destruction that raises questions about history and cultural memory.

Also on view is a striking sculptural work by multimedia artist Xu Zhen.

Standing 7.5 metres tall and weighing 3 tonnes, the work brings together a Buddhist figure associated with China’s Tianlongshan Grottoes and the sweeping form of Greek sculpture Winged Victory of Samothrace.

Another featured work is a robotic Corinthian column that stands nearly 4m tall and occupies an 8m x 8m footprint, giving a classical symbol of Western civilization an unsettling – almost living – presence.

The exhibition opened to the public on Saturday, attracting visitors from all walks of life for a first look.

Troy Zhou, who has lived in New Zealand for about a decade, said he felt proud as a Chinese New Zealander to see such a large-scale presentation of Chinese contemporary art.

He said the exhibition offered people from different backgrounds an opportunity to better understand Chinese culture.

“I think it is a window for the world to understand China,” he said.

“Artistic expressions are diverse. Through the work of these artists, visitors from different countries and ethnic groups can find resonance with their own cultures.

“They can learn more about Chinese culture through these artworks.”

Heather Cunningham, who has previously visited China with her daughter, said she was struck by some of the political elements in the exhibition and by the courage of some Chinese artists in questioning and challenging history.

She said the exhibition also gave her a new perspective on Chinese contemporary art, including its use of technology.

“This is very technologically advanced in terms of the video,” she said.

“The layered look, how the videos are used, how the photographs are used, how they are presented, the subject matter. It is very new to me, which is so exciting.”

Clara Curtice, who visited Beijing and Shanghai about a decade ago, said she was also struck by the political elements represented in the exhibition.

“I am really enjoying considering that there is still a strong political element to what these artists are trying to say, and that they use old types of Chinese art to express modern political ideas,” she said.

Curtice was impressed by the way the exhibition reflected China’s rapid transformation and the enormous disruption experienced by its people over a short period of time.

“It reminds me that this is a significant population, and there are a multitude of different ways of seeing the world,” she said. “It is a really interesting space.”

Hutch Wilco, exhibition project manager at Auckland Art Gallery, said Auckland’s Chinese community had grown rapidly over the past 15 years and that New Zealanders’ interest in contemporary Chinese culture and art had also increased.

Wilco said the exhibition highlighted the breadth of contemporary Chinese art.

Spanning the period from China’s reforms and the introduction of an “open door” policy in 1978 to the present day, the show reflects the country’s dramatic transformation over more than four decades, he said.

“There’s this sense of speed in the development in China,” he said.

“That is something we are all feeling globally, particularly since Covid, with changes to society, changes to global politics … and the impact of artificial intelligence.

“I think we can learn from the experience that has really sort of preceded us in the experience of China and Chinese artists.”

Pu Yingwei, a Beijing-based artist, has two paintings on display in the exhibition – one titled Purple King Kong: Red and Blue Entangled in Space and the other Chinacapital 1978.

Pu said his artworks explored the complexities of China’s rapid development, its rise as a global power and the ways that transformation had shaped the country’s relationship with the wider world.

“Chinacapital 1978 tells the story of China’s reform and opening up, and the emergence of a completely new China,” he said.

“It looks at the impact that transformation had on the world, as well as the changes within China itself.”

Pu said his second work, Purple King Kong, examined the entangled relationship between red and blue.

“Red represents China and blue represents Western ideology,” he said.

“The purple figure, formed from a mixture of red and blue, is a metaphor for China’s reform and opening up.”

Pu said the exhibition had also given him an opportunity to see works by other Chinese artists, some for the first time.

“I think this exhibition will provide both New Zealand and Chinese audiences with new insights into contemporary Chinese art,” he said.

Chen Wei, another Chinese artist who travelled to Auckland for the opening of the exhibition, has a photographic work titled Today Is Unsuitable for Shooting on display.

The image, made from a carefully constructed set assembled in his studio, reflects the difficulty of accurately capturing Beijing’s smog.

Chen said the exhibition of contemporary art gave visiting Chinese artists a chance to catch a glimpse of New Zealand’s artistic and cultural landscape.

“When we come here, we can also learn about local culture. At the same time, we invite local audiences to walk into a period of our history,” he said.

“All history is connected. China’s development is closely related to the development of the world.”

Wang Ziquan, a Shanghai-based cross-media artist, has a sculptural work titled Compromise on display in Auckland.

Wang said his practice focused on creating sculptures without relying on traditional sculpting methods.

He hoped audiences could sense the rapid changes taking place in Chinese contemporary art in his work.

“Even things that might once have barely been considered art are now becoming artistic [in China],” he said, noting that internet memes could now be considered a form of contemporary art.

“The shift is enormous,” he said. “Contemporary art today does not necessarily need to be about profound social issues or grand themes. It can also be about small things hidden in the details.”

Wilco agreed, saying the exhibition explored globalization, its effects and the ways different cultures come into contact with one another.

He hoped every visitor would find something in the show that resonated with them.

The exhibition is supported by the Auckland Art Gallery Foundation and the New Zealand government’s Events Boost Fund. It runs through 23 August.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Two more police staff’s internet usage is being “assessed” for potential misuse, RNZ can reveal.

A rapid review of staff internet usage was sparked by the resignation of former deputy commissioner Jevon McSkimming after child sexual exploitation and bestiality material were found on his work devices.

RNZ recently revealed a senior police staffer’s internet usage was “under assessment” following an audit of senior staff and leaders.

On Tuesday, Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers told RNZ in a statement two new cases of potential misuse were currently being assessed.

“In total, police have now investigated 22 cases following audits of internet use.

“To date, 12 have been resolved through disciplinary action or performance management. Four staff have resigned through the process.”

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

Three staff remain under investigation for potentially objectionable and inappropriate searches. Three staff have been stood down.

No charges have been filed to date.

RNZ earlier revealed that the police’s executive leadership team (ELT) had agreed to look at internet usage for staff in senior leadership positions over a 12-month period.

RNZ earlier obtained a series of emails in relation to the audit of senior leaders under the OIA.

This includes an email from Police Commissioner Richard Chambers to senior leaders on 1 December last year.

In the email, Chambers said the ELT had agreed to additional internet usage checks over all existing staff in senior leadership positions.

“This will include myself as Commissioner, Assistant Commissioners, Executive Directors, District Commanders, Directors, and the leadership of the Firearms Safety Authority and Next Generational Critical Comms (NGCC).

“These audits will check staff internet usage and search histories on police devices for the past 12 months.”

Those who were in contention to be Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners had already undergone an “extensive audit” as part of the selection process, Chambers said.

Police chief of staff Cassandra Anderson earlier told RNZ the audit of senior staff and leaders had concluded.

“There were no concerns about the usage of the executive leadership team, the senior leadership team, and District Commanders.”

However, two “matters of potential concern” were identified among the “wider cohort of senior staff who were included in the audit”.

“One matter relating to potential misuse is under assessment.

“The other was a minor issue which was investigated and has been resolved.”

No other usage of concern was identified across senior staff, Anderson said.

“Ongoing regular checks of all staff device use, including leaders, will continue and have been implemented as part of NZ Police’s routine practice.”

Checks on staff seeking promotion to the ranks of Superintendent or above would also be conducted, in line with the Independent Police Conduct Authority’s recommendation.

“The Commissioner is confident the tighter controls implemented after the Rapid Review and the use of alerting and regular auditing has greatly strengthened our ability to quickly detect instances of inappropriate content and misuse of police devices.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Ten people have been issued firearms licences despite being disqualified from holding one because of criminal convictions, a review has revealed.

Police say the mistake, which related to licences issued between December 2020 and October 2025, is “regretted and should not have happened”.

In 2019, following the Christchurch terror attack, police introduced a Quality Assurance Investigations Framework (QAIF) to provide oversight of the decisions taken after a firearms licence had been issued.

Then in 2020, the amended Arms Act expanded the reasons a person may be disqualified from holding a firearms licence. This included that individuals convicted for specified offences such as serious violence or drug offences, were disqualified from holding firearms licences for 10 years.

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

A briefing to Minister of Police Mark Mitchell by police, in November, released to RNZ under the Official Information Act, revealed that in September last year the QAIF process identified a licence application had been accepted and processed despite the applicant having a conviction of a “disqualifying offence”.

“The licence was issued ten years after the applicant had been convicted but was 12 days short of the ten years from which the applicant had been granted parole. Technically this application should not have been accepted but given the proximity to completion of the ten-year period, the licence was issued.”

The Firearms Safety Authority (FSA) then looked at all firearms licence applications accepted and progressed between December 2020 and October 2025.

Of the 92,000 applications, 10 were incorrectly accepted and a licence issued while the applicant was disqualified.

“The offences that these 10 people were convicted of included cultivation of cannabis (four people), drug dealing (two people), multiple drug offences (one person), assault (one person), unlawful sexual connection (two people).”

Director of service delivery Matthew Boddy said in a statement to RNZ three of the people were now eligible to keep their licences because their convictions were more than 10 years old by the time the matter was identified.

“We immediately contacted the seven others, cancelling their licences, and ensured we received their physical licence cards. We required their firearms to be immediately transferred to lawful licence holders, and we verified this was done.

“Refunds were offered for the licence fee they had each paid and we apologised to them that a licence had been issued when they were ineligible. This error is regretted and should not have happened.”

Boddy said none of the licence holders came to the attention of police, or the firearms regulator, while holding incorrectly issued licences.

“Since this issue was identified, the Firearms Safety Authority have required all staff involved in the licensing process to undergo refresher training. Meanwhile, operational and policy documents have been updated with more explicit detail around identifying disqualifying offences.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

The mother of a young man who fell to his death while on drugs says legislation now going through Parliament could save lives, and politicians had the “power to make a difference”.

A member’s bill by Green MP Kahurangi Carter passed its first hurdle on Wednesday night. The legislation would prevent low-level drug prosecutions against those who call in suspected overdoses or bad drug reactions.

Shelley O’Dwyer’s son Jacob Gunnell died in 2022 after a negative reaction to LSD and a police statement told her emergency services were not called.

She told RNZ she believes if those with him at the time knew they would not “get in trouble” and called for help, “he could still be with us”.

“How would you feel if you had to live for the rest of your life knowing that you should have actually rang an ambulance and now that person’s passed away,” O’Dwyer said.

The New Zealand Drug Foundation has long called for change in this area, and executive director Sarah Helm said the law change could make a “big difference”.

“New Zealand loses three people every week to completely preventable, unintentional overdose, and that is a huge number of people,” she told RNZ.

Helm said currently people hesitate or fail to ring 111 or call for help in the event of an overdose or acute drug harm situation.

“We know from coronial cases that people do hesitate and that that causes death.”

The law change would “remove that fear of prosecution that stops people from calling for help”, Helm said.

She said this was one of the “key planks” to prevent overdose, and currently there were not enough interventions to do so.

“We can expect to see, unfortunately, more overdose fatalities over the coming years because of the increase of the potency and volatility of the drug market.

“So every intervention we can get in place will help to protect New Zealand from that,” Helm said.

The bill passed its first reading on Wednesday night, with only National and New Zealand First opposed.

ACT’s Todd Stephenson said Carter pulled off a “feat” for a first-term Green MP, “She’s going to get the support of the ACT party on first reading to send this to the select committee.”

Carter’s bill makes narrow amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act, the Bail Act and the Parole Act.

It specifies someone calling for help during a suspected overdose would not be charged for low level offences such as personal possession or use of drugs, possession of drug utensils, or a breach of parole conditions relating to drug use

The Bill does not protect drug dealing, violent offending or Crimes Act offences and it preserves accountability for serious criminal behaviour.

Ultimately – it is designed to stop people from hesitating if they are in doubt.

Carter, speaking first during the debate, said normally when someone calls an ambulance to save a life, “they’re considered a hero”.

“When someone is trying to help their friend experiencing an overdose – that should remain the case.”

Labour’s Camilla Belich spoke in support, referencing evidence by the NZ Drug Foundation highlighting witnesses hesitancy to call for help as a contributing factor in drug deaths.

She said that evidence showed there was a “need” for the Bill.

“This is not about providing avenues for people to avoid arrest in cases of serious crime,” Belich added.

Speaking for ACT, Stephenson said under the current settings it was “sometimes unclear” if you reach out for help what the consequences were.

He said he wanted to make sure that when something does go wrong, people do not hesistate in calling emergency services, “because if you can get help quickly, drug overdoses can be attended to and people can actually survive”.

“It does actually matter how quickly people get medical attention.”

He emphasised it was not a “soft on crime” bill.

Speaking for Te Pāti Māori, Oriini Kaipara said for too long “our laws have created silence where there should have been action, they’ve created hesitation where there should have been urgency”.

She also said that Māori were almost three times more likely to die from an accidental overdose than non-Māori, and highlighted that Māori were “overpoliced, overcharged and over-represented in convictions for low level drug offences”.

“This bill directly addresses inequity.”

New Zealand First’s Casey Costello raised concerns about the Bill, while acknowledging the wider societal issue.

“It is important that we communicate the need to always seek help.

“I think it is a very sad indictment on our society that we have a message that is taken up by anyone, that they would defer or refuse to call help on the risk of a low level drug offence. I hope that we are a better society than that.”

However, Costello said in her experience it was not fear of prosecution that prevented people from seeking help, but a lack of knowledge, awareness and appreciation of the severity and seriousness of people’s conditions.

“I challenge the idea of legislating out discretion for police officers. For anyone who is involved in these situations, I have more faith in our police officers than I think is demonstrated here.”

She said it was not a law of clarity, but a law of complexity, and asked who the discretion would apply to in a particular situation.

National MP Rima Nakhle said her party was not supporting the Bill, “not because we’re politicking” or because the party did not care about O’Dwyer’s experience.

Nakhle said perceptions mattered, and it mattered if the government was seen to say, “someone can escape criminal prosecution because they thought about themselves more than thinking about that person that was overdosing and could die.”

Fellow National MP Sam Uffindell said police do routinely use discretion on minor posession in instances where lifesaving help is sought.

“Health services treat anyone in a crisis without refusing them or without billing.”

The Bill would now be considered further by the Health Select Committee, where the public would also have an opportunity to have their say.

O’Dwyer had been shocked to learn her son had taken drugs.

At 24 years old, she said Gunnell had “everything going for him”.

She described him as happy, social, positive, entrepreneurial, and fit: a Les Mills instructor and a team leader at a council gym in Auckland. She also said he was a great cook.

O’Dwyer learnt Gunnell had an adverse reaction to LSD. Reports later told her he was “all hot and flustered and he didn’t look well”.

“On CCTV, we found out later on that he’d run across the road at Symonds Street, and he just basically jumped off Symonds Street Bridge,” she said.

She later had to identify his body at the morgue, “I was in total shock.”

“It’s like an out of body experience.

“You see it in the movies, you see it on the news and – it’s just the worst thing right, for any parent to live through that and having to live it every day.

“It was just so sudden and tragic.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

The French town of Le Quesnoy marks Anzac Day with us, thanks to the New Zealand soldiers who saved them over a century ago

In a medieval town 20,000 kilometres away there’s an inscription on a war memorial that says New Zealanders restored Le Quesnoy to France.

They did not conquer the town, they did not invade it. They made it French once again.

New Zealand’s last battle took place a week before the end of World War I, on 4 November, 1918. Not one civilian died but nearly 200 Kiwi soldiers lost their lives, a sacrifice the people of Le Quesnoy have never forgotten.

Central to this heroic story is a wooden ladder that was used by the soldiers to scale the high ramparts and free the town from four years of German occupation.

This Anazc Day The Detail talks to a series of people who have made it their business to make sure New Zealand’s connections with the town stay strong, including the marketing and operations manager of the New Zealand Liberation Museum, Te Arawhata, which has been described as New Zealand’s home on the Western Front.

Jacob Siermans said the story of the liberation of Le Quesnoy was one of New Zealand’s finest moments.

The town had been occupied for four years and the population had halved to 1500 people, many of them starving, by the time the New Zealand Rifle Brigade arrived at its 20 metre high walls.

“The New Zealanders know that if they launch their shells into the town they will kill all of the civilians. So they have to develop another way of getting in … and in the kind of typical number eight wire New Zealand way they decide to not bombard the town, they encircle the town and they find a way in – by ladder. They literally climb ladders into this town.

“And by doing so, they manage to liberate the town, they push the Germans out … 193 New Zealanders will die during that action but not a single civilian is killed.”

Siermans said it was a real symbol of a developing national identity for the New Zealanders, and the French held onto this memory of them.

One of the battalion was Reverend Clive Mortimer-Jones who left his parish of Cambridge to look after the men in France.

His church, St Andrews, now had three stained glass windows depicting the war, one of Gallipoli, representing truth; one of Ypres representing freedom; and another of Le Quesnoy, representing justice. The towns were now twinned.

Heather Wellington of the Cambridge-Le Quesnoy Friendship Association gave The Detail a tour of the memorials in the Waikato town, and the museum there which held the wooden writing case of Reverand Mortimer-Jones.

The museum is also where author Tania Roberts launched the first of three planned books inspired by the events in the French village. In the podcast, she explains how she became interested in the story.

Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.

You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 20 April 2026 – The University of Hong Kong (HKU) announces the launch of the School of Governance and Policy (SGP), a new interdisciplinary hub dedicated to shaping the future of governance and public policy. To mark this milestone, SGP will host its inaugural week from 27 to 29 April 2026, convening global thought leaders, nobel laureate, former heads of state, and leading academics to confront the world’s most urgent regional and transnational challenges.

Professor Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU, stated, “The establishment of the School of Governance and Policy underscores HKU’s dedication to cultivating visionary leaders and driving meaningful global cooperation. It also exemplifies the value of the humanities in the midst of the global technology leap. This Inaugural Week will serve as a dynamic platform where ideas meet action—bridging academic insight, policymaking, and real-world innovation.”

Echoing this vision, Professor Kenneth Wong, Director of School of Governance and Policy and Kerry Group Professor in Public Policy, added, “In an era defined by disruption and interdependence, collaborative governance is not just important—it is essential. SGP’s Inaugural Week embodies our mission to foster dialogue, advance research, and deliver impactful solutions that transcend borders.”

The Inaugural Week will commence on 27 April with an Inaugural Ceremony featuring the official announcement of SGP and a keynote address by Professor James Robinson, 2024 Nobel Laureate in Economics. This will be followed by an exclusive panel, “Beyond Borders: Policy Innovation and Collaboration in a Multipolar World” with Professor Joseph Liow Chinyong, Dean and Wang Gungwu Professor in East Asian Affairs, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore; Professor Lan Xue, Dean, Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University and Professor Carole Roan Gresenz, Dean, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University.

On the following day, the Global Leaders Series will welcome Dr Yukio Hatoyama, former Prime Minister of Japan, to explore “The Future of Sino-Japanese Relations Amid a Cracking World Order”. Professor James Robinson will return for a second session examining “The Future of Nations: How Economic and Political Institutions Contribute to Growth and Progress”.

The final day will feature Open Dialogues on Global Policy Challenges and Solutions, including sessions led by Professor Joseph Liow on “Southeast Asia Between the Superpowers: The Dilemma of Choice”, and Professor Carole Roan Gresenz on “Cognitive Health, Household Financial Decision-Making & Intrahousehold Financial Spillovers”. The week will conclude with a powerful address by Mr Phongthep Thepkanjana, former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, on “Transnational Scams and the Digital-Age Death Penalty Debate”.

Designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and actionable insights, the Inaugural Week underscores SGP’s commitment to advancing governance innovation and strengthening international cooperation in an increasingly complex global landscape.

For more information and to register, please visit: https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bxSKys1jr2yRzLM

About HKU School of Governance and Policy

HKU School of Governance and Policy (SGP) is jointly allocated to the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Faculty of Business and Economics, and the Faculty of Law. Bringing together the Asia Global Institute and the Centre on Contemporary China and the World under one umbrella, SGP is dedicated to advancing excellence in global governance and policy analysis, strategically positioned at the intersection of the public, non-profit, and private sectors. By uniting leading scholars, practitioners, and students, SGP addresses complex regional and global challenges through innovative, evidence-informed solutions.

Hashtag: #HKU

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

A senior police staffer’s internet usage is “under assessment” relating to potential misuse following an audit of senior staff and leaders in wake of the Jevon McSkimming scandal.

There have been 19 police staff investigated in total to date following audits of internet use, four of whom have resigned.

RNZ earlier revealed that the police’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT) had agreed to look at internet usage for staff in senior leadership positions over a 12-month period.

The audit followed a rapid review of staff internet usage sparked by McSkimming’s resignation as Deputy Commissioner after child sexual exploitation and bestiality material were found on his work devices.

RNZ has obtained a series of emails in relation to the audit of senior leaders under the OIA.

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

This includes an email from Chambers to senior leaders on 1 December last year.

In the email, Chambers said the ELT had agreed to additional internet usage checks over all existing staff in senior leadership positions.

“This will include myself as Commissioner, Assistant Commissioners, Executive Directors, District Commanders, Directors, and the leadership of the Firearms Safety Authority and Next Generational Critical Comms (NGCC).

“These audits will check staff internet usage and search histories on police devices for the past 12 months.”

Those who were in contention to be Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners had already undergone an “extensive audit” as part of the selection process, Chambers said.

In response to questions from RNZ, police’s Chief of Staff Cassandra Anderson said on Monday that the audit of senior staff and leaders had now concluded.

“There were no concerns about the usage of the Executive Leadership Team, the Senior Leadership Team, and District Commanders.”

However, two “matters of potential concern” were identified among the “wider cohort of senior staff who were included in the audit”.

“One matter relating to potential misuse is under assessment.

“The other was a minor issue which was investigated and has been resolved.”

No other usage of concern was identified across senior staff, Anderson said.

“Ongoing regular checks of all staff device use, including leaders, will continue and have been implemented as part of NZ Police’s routine practice.”

Checks on staff seeking promotion to the ranks of Superintendent or above would also be conducted, in line with the Independent Police Conduct Authority’s recommendation.

“The Commissioner is confident the tighter controls implemented after the Rapid Review and the use of alerting and regular auditing has greatly strengthened our ability to quickly detect instances of inappropriate content and misuse of police devices.”

Anderson said that in total, police had investigated 19 cases following audits of internet use.

“To date, 11 have been resolved through disciplinary action or performance management. Four staff have resigned through the process.

Three staff remain under investigation for potentially objectionable and inappropriate searches. Three staff have been stood down.”

No charges have been filed to date, Anderson said.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Attribute to Detective Senior Sergeant Ian Foster:

Police acknowledge the sentencing handed down today in the High Court at Hamilton to Joshua Hargreaves, for the murder of his brother Jack Hargreaves in July last year.

One of the firearms used in the murder belonged to their flatmate, who was sentenced on three charges of unlawful possession of a firearm in January 2026.

These sentencings bring with them a reminder to the community about the importance of firearms safety.

We all want our families and communities to be safe from firearms harm.

Police are committed to ensuring firearms do not get into the wrong hands.

You must have a current New Zealand firearms licence and any required endorsement and permit to legally possess most arms items or ammunition.

Police recognise that there may be occasions where a person inherits or receives an unwanted firearm and they don’t have a firearms licence or the correct licence endorsement.

The community will be much safer if that firearm is handed in straight away, so that criminals or vulnerable people, including children or those who are unwell, cannot have access to it.

Reach out for advice, either by calling 105, or by checking guidance on the website of the Firearms Safety Authority: https://www.firearmssafetyauthority.govt.nz/manage-and-apply/disposal-il…

When somebody proactively comes forward to Police wanting to hand in an illegally held firearm, firearms part or ammunition, they should not fear prosecution, in most cases.

Police have the discretion not to prosecute, where a firearm is proactively handed in by someone who is not lawfully able to possess it.

Each situation will be considered on its own facts and discretion exercised accordingly. Where a prosecution is not in the public interest, Police will arrange disposal of the item.

We are keen to work with the public to ensure only people with firearms licences possess firearms, as part of our approach to delivering safer communities.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

Funding initiatives under the Forest Conservation Certificate to support sustainable forestry and biodiversity protection

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

• A new bill would give police new powers but just how far it goes will now be fought over in select committee.
• The Privacy Commissioner says it sets the bar too low, but a Justice Ministry push for more safeguards was rejected.
• A criminal procedure expert warns it leaves so much up to police discretion it will likely land them in lots of court challenges.
• A hurry around the bill led to limited consultation with the public, Māori and over impacts on children.

A big step towards mass surveillance or restoring common sense powers to police to collect evidence and fight crime?

A bill just introduced to Parliament delivers new powers to police to move or detain someone, but just how far it goes depends who you listen to.

Alarm and reassurance were both in play when Mark Mitchell tabled the Policing Amendment Bill at its first reading before a nearly empty Parliament on Tuesday evening.

“I want to be very clear that this bill will not provide additional powers to police that could be construed as enabling mechanisms for mass surveillance of the New Zealand public,” the Police Minister told the House.

Labour’s Camilla Belich retorted that it was too vague to be sure.

“We don’t want a situation where we have an Orwellian society of mass surveillance, where there is unreasonable collection of personal data, which is then in some instances used to charge people with offences and … there isn’t enough detail in this bill to date that … should assure the House that situation will not arise,” she said.

The bill allowed for police to record short live videos in public if they judged that was justified.

Law professor Gehan Gunasekara bridled at Mitchell’s repeated statements that the bill “restored” police powers.

“It doesn’t restore the status quo. It changes the status quo,” he said.

‘Safeguards’

The bill in a preamble said two events “have together narrowed the law” so that police now had less power to photograph or record people in public than a regular person.

One was official inquiries sparked by RNZ in 2020 exposing how officers for years had casually snapped tens of thousands of people, mostly Māori teenagers.

Ruled illegal, the practices were curtailed – albeit reluctantly and soon after police won bipartisan political support to change the law amid a rise in ramraids on shops.

That change had taken till now, but not before a Supreme Court ruling last year further narrowed what officers could do, according to the bill.

ACT’s Todd Stephenson gave qualified backing to reverse that.

“This bill does clarify and expands the police’s power to collect, record and use information, including images, sounds, for lawful policing purposes,” he said in the debate.

But with a kicker.

“Our support is conditional on ensuring that there is strong privacy protections and safeguards against mass surveillance powers.”

‘Low bar’

The Privacy Commissioner was not convinced about the safeguards, saying the bill set a “low bar”.

“It permits collection of people’s information for ‘an intelligence purpose’ which is not defined and establishes a low bar for police to meet (the police employee collecting the information only has to ‘consider that the information will or may support the Police in performing a function’),” said Michael Webster in a statement.

The Justice Ministry meantime had recommended tailormade safeguards.

But that was “deemed unnecessary” because the bill was not displacing any privacy principles or the Commissioner’s powers, said the bill disclosure statement.

However, the ministry largely supported the bill and said it did not breach the Bill of Rights Act.

Webster’s office in 2021 made one of two investigations of police taking so many photos so casually.

The Privacy Act did not permit “baseless or indiscriminate collection”, he said, but now the bill sought to set up a broad authorising framework.

“Overly broad or insufficiently clear intelligence gathering powers will impact on the privacy rights of everyday New Zealand[ers] and has the potential for chilling effect on people’s civil and political rights.”

Green MP Tamatha Paul said at the first reading that maybe Mitchell was right when he said the bill would not impact everyday New Zealanders: “Maybe he’s right, because this bill is going to impact Maori.

“Rather than tightening up the practice and protecting children, they’re changing the law to make it legal,” she said.

Police did make changes over several years as ordered by the Privacy Commissioner but failed to find a technology solution to identify and delete all the unlawfully taken photos.

Council of Civil Liberties’ Thomas Beagle saw not power restored to police but a power grab.

“It is trying to give the police whatever they want at the price of the people of New Zealand,” he said.

“It’s expanding surveillance powers for police drastically by allowing them to use any form of recording [of] visual or audio data that they can capture from public or private places without any oversight.”

‘Time pressures’

“Time pressures” meant there had been little or no consultation with the public or Māori or consideration of Te Tiriti, said the disclosure statement, and a regulatory impact statement (RIS).

Police consulted Te Puni Kokiri, which raised these concerns.

For the same reason, impacts on children and teenagers had not been delved into – even though the bill arose in part from officers photographing and fingerprinting them.

“This proposal is not seeking to legislate any additional protections for the collection, use, and retention of personal information on children and young people,” said the RIS.

Existing protections combined with police seeking “to ensure operational policy and guidance is aligned with our legislative obligations” was enough, it added.

Police would deal with any disproportionate impacts, the disclosure statement said.

Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad said she had real concerns especially for mokopuna and rangatahi Māori, “given the previous breaches of their rights by the exercise of police power in photographing them”.

A police policy team talked to her office and invited more feedback “but due to very short time-frame provided by police, this was not possible”.

‘We’re striking the balance’

The Police Association’s Steve Watt said it was not over-reach.

“Look, it is important to consult a wider group when these types of bills come out. However, I’m sufficiently satisfied that there’s safeguards in place that minority groups won’t be targeted as a result,” Watt said.

“Ultimately … what this does is it gives our officers certainty around the information that they can collect and store as part of their day-to-day duties.

“We’re striking the balance between what was occurring in the past but allowing the freedom and ability for police to be able to perform their duties and functions appropriately.”

He echoed Mitchell in stating that internal and external controls were adequate – Mitchell noted the establishment of the Inspector-General of Police role sparked by the McSkimming scandal – and how any information gathered could be tested in the courts.

But criminal procedure expert professor Scott Optican of Auckland University said that was the problem.

“The definitions are vague, the reasonable standards are vague, and I think it’s going to invite continuing challenges in court,” said Optican.

“I don’t think it does the police any favours.”

Giving police general intelligence-gathering powers was a laudable goal, but should be done after wide consultation to arrive at “proper standards, clear guidance that adequately balances the need for criminal investigation against the protection of personal privacy, [and] that creates standards of reasonableness that we all understand and live with”, he said.

Part two

The bill is in two parts: The first is on intelligence gathering; the second would give police new powers to declare a wider range of public areas off limits earlier, before, say, boy racers kicked off or other public disorder, including the power to fine people $1000, get their details or if they refused, to fine or jail them for up to three months.

Part two would “deter antisocial driving behaviour”, the bill said.

But it also would let a constable temporarily close off a place if they believed on “reasonable grounds” that “public disorder exists or is imminent at or near the place”, or a danger to a member of the public.

It “expands the police’s existing temporary closure powers to include circumstances that are broader than vehicle-related offending, as well as expanding the geographical size of areas that may be subject to temporary closure”.

Beagle said that was unreasonable and open to abuse, for instance, to close off protests.

“This, combined with the police powers to move on homeless people, are reducing the right to be in public places,” he said.

The bill has now gone to select committee to be reported back to Parliament on 27 July.

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Filmmakers across indigenous cultures the world over are gathering in Ōtaki on the Kapiti Coast this week to connect and collaborate at the Māoriland Film Festival.

The film festival, which runs until Saturday, is now in it’s 13th year, having grown from simply a place for indigenous filmmakers to come together to screening more than 100 short and feature films this year.

Isobel and Dakoda are two young indigenous filmmakers from Australia who have been staying at Raukawa marae in Ōtaki as part of a cultural and filmmaking exchange between Victoria and Aotearoa.

“It feels very safe for us and I feel very connected to everyone here. We’ve been sleeping in the same room and we’re mainly outside just playing and that, so it’s good,” said Dakoda a Yorta Yorta, Wemba Wemba, Barapa Barapa and Wiradjuri woman.

Isobel a Djadjawarung woman from Gunditjmara land in Victoria said it’s been inspiring to see how connected Māori are to their culture.

She created a headpiece from emu feathers, echidna quills and kangaroo leather as a gift for former Māoriland festival director Libby Hakaraia who helped make their film a reality.

“So we put it into a headpiece just to show our culture and our connection to land to give to Libby.”

Head of Funding at the New Zealand Film Commission Ainsley Gardiner (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Pikiao, Whakatōhea, Te Whānau a Apanui) said it was cool to see the students from Australia bring their films to Aotearoa.

“What’s incredible about that is that rangatahi who have been taught here at Māoriland how to make films have then gone over to Australia to teach other young people about how to make films and they’re also sharing culture. So it’s just this really dual, multifaceted experience for these young people.”

Bringing filmmakers together is one of the most successful things Māoriland does, she said.

“They bring together emerging filmmakers from around the world and they’re doing at a really grassroots level what we as a funding agency are trying to do at a really top level which is bring together filmmakers from around the world to make films together, to find ways to make co-productions.

“So there’s just a really kind of essential foundational thing that happens here which is about building those relationships which actually go on to make a real difference in our industry and in the industries around the world.”

Gardiner said despite the fact it was a really tough time for filmmakers at the moment she was never surprised by how good indigenous filmmakers are.

“It’s always quite tough to be a filmmaker. I think when I was starting out and when young people are starting out, the thing to remember is that filmmaking is not a career pathway. It’s an art form and actually finding your people and finding your tribe and actually making your stories and telling your stories with the people who understand them, for people who long to hear them, is the most important part of the process.

“So while the industry itself really struggles, I don’t think filmmaking as a kind of storytelling art is ever at risk of going away.”

It’s filmmaker Taniora Ormsby’s second year at the festival but first time with a film as part of the programme. He said one of his favourite things about Māoriland is how it brings so many different indigenous people together.

“Last year I was lucky enough to speak with people all the way from the other side of the planet, which I’ve never been able to do anywhere else except for here. To me, that’s part of the appeal, part of the reason why I came back, and to have my film shown amongst all these other amazing filmmakers, it’s a privilege.”

Ormsby’s horror short film Devil in the Gat is playing at Māoriland, exploring the ambitions of a young Māori musician, how far he’s willing to go to achieve his dreams and “how bloody they can be.”

“For Devil in the Gat, that’s where I started. I feel like the story of a young artist trying to break out into an industry is such a universal idea that when you naturally add the te ao Māori elements into it, it feels strangely like a good fit,” he said.

Ormsby said Māori were natural-born storytellers, so recontextualising the stories they had been telling for years would allow filmmakers to break out into different genres, like horror.

“A big kaupapa of mine is seeing Māori in genre spaces. I feel like we can tend to tell the same sort of colonial stories when it comes to movies, short films and TV. So I’m always excited to seeing us in different spaces like Māori horror, for instance. But who’s to say that we can’t be in a sci-fi or a comedy or all the other genres out there.”

“Māori horror” had recently drawn attention with the release of Mārama, which was directed by Māoriland alumni Taratoa Stappard.

Māoriland director Tainui Stephens (Te Rarawa) said it’s hard to believe how far the festival had come in 13 years, it started out simply as place for filmmakers to meet and get together.

“It’s an extravagant mix of cultures and beliefs. But everyone’s united with one aim, and that’s an indigenous heart. To do things for our young people, to tell stories that bring light and entertainment and meaning to our world.”

Stephens said more and more collaborations between indigenous peoples are happening in film and TV, pointing to the series Chief of War as one example. https://www.rnz.co.nz/life/screens/tv/a-hawaiian-epic-made-in-nz-why-jason-momoa-s-chief-of-war-wasn-t-filmed-in-its-star-s-homeland

“This is a chance for people to meet, swap ideas, to dream of collaboration. They leave here and many of them do it. It’s a beautiful thing to see,” he said.

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Commentators are split on whether the fuel support package announced by the government on Tuesday is generous – or leaving out some of the most needy New Zealanders.

The government announced it would give $50 a week to families who qualify for the in-work tax credit.

This means they must be a parent or caregiver working at least 30 hours a week combined as a couple or 20 hours as a single parent, not receiving a main benefit.

In the current tax year, the income cut-off for receiving the tax credit was around $89,000 of annual household income for a family with one child, $112,000 for a family with two children and $135,000 for a family with three children.

The payment would continue until the price of 91 petrol drops below $3 a litre for four consecutive weeks, or a year, whichever comes first.

About 143,000 households would receive the $50 in full, from April 7. Another 14,000 would receive payment at a lower rate.

Isaac Gunson, spokesperson for the Child Poverty Action Group, said it would help working for families but there was nothing for people relying on benefits.

“Close to a quarter of a million children live in households receiving a core benefit and the idea that there’s no additional support for them that will be made available is pretty outrageous.”

While Finance Minister Nicola Willis said they were potentially less affected because they did not have to travel to work, Gunson said they would still need to travel for groceries or job interviews.

He said the 3.1 percent increase in benefits from April 1 would not be enough.

“The idea that benefit dependent households won’t face as big a downturn in their finances because they don’t have the same obligations to go to work… that just doesn’t stand up.”

But Simplicity chief economist Shamubeel Eaqub said the policy was surprisingly generous, because the average amount that households spent on fuel each week before prices started to rise was $65.

“The immediate sticking point is going to be people who need to travel to work … this at least takes away one of those critical concerns that people might have had.”

The support package would cost up to $373 million and be paid from the Budget 2026 operating allowance.

Eaqub said the government might earn an extra $180 million in GST revenue as a result of higher petrol prices.

But Infometrics chief executive Brad Olsen said it was likely that would be diverted spending from other things, if the petrol price was higher.

“If you have to spend a whole bunch more on fuel that will attract more GST but unless your income has magically increased by the same amount, which it clearly hasn’t, you’re spending less on other things in the economy.”

He said the support plan made sense because the government wanted it to be timely and targeted.

“The fact that it can come in so quickly, and probably most importantly for the government politically, is that you see direct money in your account rather than having to wait for a cashback or not noticing that it’s come off your headline tax figure or something. That’s useful. And I think also the government has been quite clear that it was going to be limited.

“It highlights that for the government, they can’t control what’s happening across the world.

“And emitting a whole bunch of tax money they don’t have anyway, and therefore having to borrow for it to fund much wider support, would be a fairly reckless economic decision. This one coming from within the current operating allowance has kicked something else that the government might have done at budget time out and put this in instead. That seems to be a reasonable swap.

“The fact that it is targeted towards those who are already getting something like the in-work tax credit, does seem to be a pretty reasonable way to try and tightly target as much as possible the support and just get it out the door.”

Gunson said the winter energy payment should be increased.

“At the moment it’s about $20 a week for single parents and $31 a week for couples and people with children. That needs to go up irrespective of the current crisis that’s going on.

“We’d like to see the government lift it by at least 30 percent to make up for inflation as well as the current crisis to really help low-income families receiving a core benefit out.”

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MIL OSI

As thousands of hunters are making their plans for autumn – the Roar – recreational firearms groups are urging hunters to always be 100% sure of their targets.

Te Tari Pureke – Firearms Safety Authority, which chairs the Recreational Firearms Users Group, has begun a public information campaign reminding hunters everywhere of Rule #4 of the Firearms Safety Code: to identify their target beyond all doubt.

Director Communities and Corporate, Mike McIlraith, says there is an estimated 50,000-60,000 New Zealanders involved in big game animal hunting each year, and the Roar is the key event for many hunters each year.

“The Roar is a fantastic time of year for hunters to get out into the hills after a trophy animal but hunting safely and making sure everyone gets home in one piece, still must be the most important goal of every trip,” says Mike McIlraith.

“The consequences of not fully identifying your target beyond all doubt can be catastrophic. Our message to hunters is a really simple one: If you are not sure, then don’t shoot.”

Mike McIlraith says while hunting fatalities are thankfully rare, research has shown that misidentification of the target is the largest firearms related risk to New Zealand deer hunters, and 80% of the time this involves members of the same hunting group.

The Authority says hunters should not feel pressured to take a shot: “Instead, hunters should take the time to analyse their target, wait and see if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how many points does its antlers have? Identifying your target means never firing at sound, shape, colour or movement alone.”

Mike McIlraith says good hunters will slow down, and run through some simple mental checks:

• Can I see the whole animal, or could this be another hunter?
• Where are my hunting companions – could this be them or someone else?
• How much of the animal can you see, if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how many points does its antlers have?

“Taking a little extra time to identify your target and check the firing zone is the key to safer hunting. No meat or no trophy is better than no mate,” he says.

ENDS

Background information

What is the ‘Roar’?

It is the breeding season of New Zealand’s red deer species. The roar runs from mid-March through April. The roar lasts approximately four weeks, with stags being the most vocal attracting mates in the middle two weeks.

Who are the Recreational Firearms Users Group?

The Recreational Firearms Users Group was formed to help align the important messaging of the various stakeholder groups involved in recreational hunting in New Zealand.

This group consists of Federated Farmers of New Zealand, Fish & Game NZ, Game Animal Council, Mountain Safety Council, NZ Deerstalkers Association, Department of Conservation and Te Tari Pūreke – Firearms Safety Authority.

Useful sources:

Game Animal Council: https://nzgameanimalcouncil.org.nz/the-roar/

Department of Conservation: https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/things-to-do/hunting/what-to-hunt/deer/red-deer/

Te Tari Pureke – Hunter Safety: https://www.firearmssafetyauthority.govt.nz/firearms-safety/hunter-safety

The 7 rules of firearms safety: https://www.firearmssafetyauthority.govt.nz/firearms-safety/7-rules-firearm-safety

Data on hunter injury numbers: https://www.mountainsafety.org.nz/explore/research-and-insights/a-hunters-tale

MIL OSI

Benefit rates are set to rise on 1 April, but there are concerns that they won’t be enough to keep up with the rapidly rising cost of living.

JobSeeker for a single person over 25 will increase from $361.32 to $372.55 a week after tax.

Sole parent support lifts from $505.80 to $521.52.

Supported living for a couple with children increases from $734.12 to $756.94.

NZ Super increases from $1076 for a single person living alone per fortnight to $1110.30.

Benefits are adjusted based on the consumer price index (CPI), which lifted 3.11 percent last year.

NZ Super and Veteran’s Pension rates are adjusted based on changes in net average wages and the CPI.

Isaac Gunson, spokesperson for Child Poverty Action Group, said the increase would only cover the inflation that happened last year.

“Not the specific inflation around food, electricity, other big ticket essential items that families can’t go without, and yet those have all been rising higher than average inflation.”

He said any additional support from the government to help with the current crisis would need to take into consideration the pressures households had already been feeling.

Cost of living pressure had been a problem for many households for years, he said, and things such as food were frequently rising faster in price than other goods.

“It’s a big problem to calculate benefit rates by the average inflation because so many critical essentials that families and especially children need to grow up and live long, healthy lives are the things that are inflating even faster.

“We have called for benefit rates to be tied to wage growth to even out the picture of what sort of support that people need. But even then, bearing in mind that in the last couple of years or so, even wage growth has been quite low.

“There’s a lot of work needed from the government to lift wage growth, to keep families in a position where they’re not having to make cuts at home. And then once wage growth is in a strong place, to be able to index benefit increases to that.”

He said many families’ savings had been eroded over recent years, so a lot of households did not have a buffer to fall back on.

Green Party spokesperson Ricardo Menendez March said benefit levels were not keeping up with the increasing cost of rent, petrol and many food items like vegetables or mince.

“Benefit indexation changes are automatic and do not make up for the fact families are already behind on essential costs.

“Every time there is a crisis people already experiencing poverty disproportionately pay the price … the government needs to protect people experiencing hardship from the current fuel and cost of living crisis by lifting core benefit levels in this budget.”

Infometrics chief forecaster Gareth Kiernna said it was the way the system was set up.

“There’s always going to be a lag – if inflation is running quite hot and it’s stuff that people can’t avoid buying it’s going to cause problems.”

A spokesperson for Finance Minister Nicola Willis said she acknowledged increasing pressure on household budgets and said government was exploring options to provide support to those most affected who had no way of avoiding increasing fuel costs, but did not have the power to mitigate all the consequences of a international conflict.

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The executive director of the Firearms Safety Authority has been cleared of misconduct following an employment investigation in relation to disgraced former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming.

The investigation says that given the knowledge Angela Brazier had when providing a reference check for McSkimming, it would have been “prudent” for her to disclose the fact he was receiving harassing emails and that there was a police investigation.

However, the investigation found there were “shortcomings” in terms of how the Public Service Commission (PSC) obtained the reference check and that Brazier’s conduct did not bring police into disrepute and therefore could not be considered to amount to misconduct.

Speaking to RNZ, Brazier says the investigation was “another waste of taxpayers’ money” and wants police to publicly clear her name.

• Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

The Independent Police Conduct Authority’s report recommended employment investigations against three staff – former Assistant Commissioner Paul Basham, Detective Superintendent Chris Page, and Brazier.

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers engaged Kristy McDonald KC to lead the investigations.

The investigation into Brazier – who announced her retirement in January – related to a reference check she provided to the Public Service Commission when McSkimming was vying for the role of Interim Commissioner in 2024.

The IPCA said that when the Public Service Commission approached her for a reference check, she knew McSkimming had an affair, that he was being “harassed” with emails from the woman and that former Deputy Commissioner Tania Kura had informed McSkimming that she had to investigate him as part of the police response.

However, Brazier told the PSC she had nothing relevant to disclose. She told the IPCA she did not think her knowledge was relevant to PSC’s question.

“[Brazier’s] disclosure was inadequate in light of her knowledge at the time,” the IPCA said.

RNZ has obtained a copy of the McDonald’s investigation report, dated 19 February.

In the report, McDonald said Brazier declined to be interviewed but did provide additional information she requested, including her response to the draft IPCA report.

McDonald said the reference obtained by the PSC on 8 October 2024 was part of what the PSC described as a “shortened version of their vetting process”.

“Following Commissioner Coster’s resignation in 2024, an interim Commissioner needed to be appointed. By convention the longest serving statutory Deputy Commissioner is appointed, which in this case would have been Mr McSkimming.”

She said McSkimming went through a “thorough vetting process” run by PSC when he was appointed statutory Deputy Commissioner in 2023. This included full reference and probity checks.

However, when considering McSkimming for interim Commissioner the PSC took a “shortened version”.

This was for several reasons including that McSkimming had been deputy commissioner for about 18 months and had already been interim Commissioner on several occasions and “by convention” was the person who was going to be appointed to the role.

“Mr McSkimming had recently been thoroughly vetted when appointed as a statutory Deputy Commissioner. Therefore, there was an anticipated inevitability of Mr McSkimming’s appointment which impacted the manner in which the probity checks were undertaken.

“As a result, the normal checks were not conducted in an in-depth way as would typically be done. For example, only three references were obtained and they were from people nominated by Mr McSkimming.”

McDonald said the PSC’s focus was whether anything had occurred in the 18 month period from when McSkimming had been vetted for his current role.

“This context coloured the approach PSC took to the appointment process, including the reference obtained from Ms Brazier.”

As part of her investigation, McDonald interviewed the PSC employee who took the reference check from Brazier. McDonald said she understood the employee was not interviewed by the IPCA.

The employee confirmed she called Brazier on 8 October 2024 and asked Brazier if she was able to provide a reference check for McSkimming. Brazier agreed and the interview was then carried out.

“As such, Ms Brazier did not have time to reflect on matters that she may have wished to discuss,” McDonald said.

The reference checking process took up to 7 minutes, McDonald estimated, finishing at 1.45pm.

The employee did not tell Brazier she should provide “full and frank answers” at the beginning of the interview.

“In response to the Integrity Question Ms Brazier stated: ‘Nothing that I am aware of that would impact [Mr McSkimming’s] ability to do the job or bring the agency or the NZ government into disrepute’.”

McDonald said all of Brazier’s answers were brief, and that the employee did not ask any follow up questions “to try to illicit more information from Ms Brazier”.

McDonald said it was “clear that there were shortcomings in terms of the way the reference was obtained from Ms Brazier”.

This included that the employee did not read the PSC script that interviewers typically read out at the beginning of reference interviews.

The script used by the employee did not include any statements designed to encourage Brazier to provide “fulsome responses.”

Asked why this was, the employee told McDonald she believed the interview with Brazier was “an open and closed reference check”.

“The PSC Employee stated that: given that Mr McSkimming was the longest serving Deputy Commissioner he was the obvious candidate for the interim Commissioner role; that she did not think that there was anything wrong with Mr McSkimming; and that her job was to see if Mr McSkimming still met the fit and proper person test – having been found to satisfy this requirement in 2023.”

The employee also said that the then Assistant Commissioner at PSC had already spoken to Coster before Brazier was contacted to provide a reference. Coster had told the PSC about McSkimming’s affair, and that the woman was being prosecuted for harassment of McSkimming, McDonald said.

McDonald said a manager at PSC said that if this information was known by the employee, then they ought to have asked further questions of Brazier given her “short but caveated response to the integrity question”.

McDonald said in response to her draft findings, the PSC said the employee could not have known that information at the time she called Brazier. This was because the PSC said Coster was interviewed only shortly before Brazier was spoken to. Following her final report, McDonald issued an addendum which said while additional documents provided by the PSC showed when the interview with Coster began, it did not say when it ended.

“Given the above and the fact that when I interviewed the PSC Employee she repeatedly stated that she already knew, at a high level, about the disclosures made by Commissioner Coster prior to her interviewing Ms Brazier, it is possible that [a manager at PSC] had already spoken to the PSC Employee about those disclosures before the PSC Employee interviewed Ms Brazier.”

Regardless of whether or not the PSC employee knew about the discussion before calling Brazier, it did not “materially alter” her findings in relation to Brazier’s conduct.

McDonald said the employee had only recently started conducting reference interviews and had done about 15 previously which were “for very different roles”.

“The PSC has now changed the manner in which it obtains references, including how it asks integrity questions and has provided additional training to interviewers. The PSC Employee confirmed that the manner in which she conducts reference interviews now is significantly different to the way she approached Ms Brazier’s interview.”

McDonald concluded that given the knowledge Brazier had when providing the reference it would have been “prudent” for her to disclose the fact that McSkimming was receiving harassing emails and that there was a police investigation into those emails – even if she believed that investigation looked at him as a complainant.

“Such information was still relevant contextual information. Given Ms Brazier’s work experience, having worked in senior positions for the Police for over twenty years, she ought to have understood the relevance of such information.

“I have considered, in light of the factual findings I have made, whether Ms Brazier’s conduct could be viewed as amounting to a breach of the Police Code of Conduct by bringing Police into disrepute. My recommendation is that it does not.”

McDonald said while Brazier “could have been more forthcoming”, there were several “highly relevant” factors.

This included that the PSC employee did not advise Brazier of the expectation to provide full disclosure of any relevant information she may have at the start of the interview, and that they did not do any follow up questions.

“Ms Brazier was not given advanced warning of the interview and it is likely that she did not have time to prepare or reflect on matters that she may wish to discuss.”

McDonald also noted that the IPCA did not interview the PSC employee as part of their investigation.

“And, therefore, did not take account of the manner in which the interview was conducted before making its findings against Ms Brazier.”

On 27 February, Brazier received a letter from police confirming that Deputy Commissioner Mike Pannett had accepted McDonald’s recommendation that Brazier’s conduct did not amount to a breach of the Police Code of Conduct and was not misconduct. He also agreed no further action was required.

Brazier told RNZ the investigation was a “waste of taxpayers’ money”, but was “pleased” when she read that the report cleared her of any misconduct but was not surprised as she did not think she had done anything wrong.

“I was annoyed that the IPCA hadn’t interviewed the person that did the reference check with me… they basically made their decision without any facts about what the referee process was.”

She said the IPCA report and the subsequent fallout had a significant impact on her.

“It impacted on the way I felt about the organisation, it impacted on my health and wellbeing, because it was publicised and my name was in the media, and that would have made it very difficult for me to find another job in the public sector whilst I had an under investigation against my name, even though there was nothing to it.

“It also meant that my team will have been questioning what my involvement was. It had wide-reaching impact, unfairly.”

After announcing her retirement, Brazier told RNZ she felt “targeted” by police leadership. She said this week she stood by those comments.

“It’s been completely unfair. I’m not the only person that’s been targeted. If you were to look at the number of people that have left, kind of under a cloud, I guess, over the last 18 months, then, yeah, a lot of people who have worked very hard and have been very credible and trustworthy individuals have left.”

Brazier her reference check was done “very quickly with no prior notice”.

“It was not a thorough interview in terms of a reference checking process for a senior role. So I think that they should have owned that from the outset, but instead they try and point the finger at me.”

She said that when she was interviewed by the PSC there was nothing she thought that would or could prevent McSkimming doing the job at the time.

“If they had asked me if he had had an affair, I would have been very clear, because my choice then would have been tell the truth or tell a lie, and I would have told the truth without question of a doubt.

“But it wasn’t. It was never tabled in that way. So I didn’t feel that it was, it was an important element of his ability to do the job, because he had been a statutory deputy for a number of years and had regularly covered for the commissioner, so he had no issues with doing the job, in my mind, even though he’d had an affair, but it was so long ago.”

In a statement to RNZ on questions about the investigation into Brazier, Deputy Commissioner Mike Pannett said police had the same privacy obligations as any other employer and therefore could not provide any information or comment.

“As previously announced, Ms Brazier is retiring from her position at the New Zealand Firearms Safety Authority in April.”

Police said two of the investigations being carried out by McDonald remained in progress.

“Police will not be commenting on the findings.”

Brazier is “unhappy” police won’t publicly confirm she was cleared of misconduct.

“They could have said there was no finding of misconduct or no breach of the Code of Conduct about me… I’m happy for them to say that, because it’s my privacy that apparently they’re trying to protect. So I don’t see why they couldn’t say that… they’re choosing not to.”

She believes police have not given thought to her being a “loyal, hardworking, trustworthy employee”.

“They have just gone about carte blanche doing an investigation on this and on that, without actually considering me as a senior member of police for over 20 years with no history of ever having any sorts of issues, they just went straight to investigation.”

A Public Service Commission spokesperson told RNZ the matter was “thoroughly and independently examined by the IPCA”.

“The IPCA found that disclosures made to the Public Service Commission during the 2024 interim Commissioner appointment process were inadequate and fell well short of what would reasonably be expected in a process of that significance.

“Separately, inquiries made by the Public Service Commission to the IPCA confirmed that a complaint was under active consideration at the time. As a result, Mr McSkimming was not recommended for appointment to the interim role.”

The PSC also commissioned an independent review by Miriam Dean KC into its reference checks and probity processes for senior Police appointments such as the Police Commissioner and Deputy Police Commissioners.

“The Commission accepted the findings of the Dean Review in full and has implemented improvements to strengthen its appointment processes and disclosure requirements.

“Ms McDonald carried out a confidential employment investigation for Police into the conduct of one of their former employees. Any findings or actions are therefore a matter for Police.”

A IPCA spokesperson told RNZ that in drafting their report, they relied on the file note of PSC’s reference check with Brazier.

“We also had access to Miriam Dean KC’s report, which had considered the way PSC conducted reference checks. Further, we relied on the evidence of Ms Brazier, including her submissions during our natural justice process. She did not deny the non-disclosure.”

The spokeperson also referred to paragraphs of the report in which Brazier “provided us with reasons for why she did not disclose relevant information”.

“We have not seen the employment investigation report.”

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Friends and family members came from all over New Zealand today and celebrated alongside the newly attested constables of the 393 recruit wing at the Royal New Zealand Police College in Porirua.

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers addressed the graduating wing alongside Associate Minister of Police, the Honourable Casey Costello, members of the police executive and wing patron, Keven Mealamu MNZM.

Top award winner and first in wing Constable Aaron Rock swapped his career in firefighting and emergency medical (EMT) work for a new role in Policing.

“I will be forever grateful for my family’s sacrifices and unwavering support. They push me constantly to become a better version of myself. I wouldn’t be where I am today without their love.”

Aaron will be based in Central District.

Leadership Award Winner, Constable Harawira Smith -Ngāti Kahungunu and Te Arawa, says “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Aotearoa. I am proud to stand alongside every member of wing 393.”

Harawira will be based in the  Bay of Plenty.

Deployment:
The new constables will start their first day of duty in their Police districts on the week beginning Monday 23 March 2026 and will continue their training on the job as probationary constables.

Tāmaki Makaurau receives a total of 19 new officers (Auckland City 5, Waitematā 7, Counties Manukau 7), Waikato 5, Bay of Plenty 6, Eastern 1, Central 7, Wellington 8, Tasman 2, Southern 1.

All Awards:
Minister’s Award recognising top student: Constable Aaron Rock posted to Central District.
Commissioner’s Award for Leadership: Constable Harawira Smith posted to Bay of Plenty District.
Patron’s Award recognising second top student: Constable D’arcy Murray posted to Bay of Plenty District.
The Firearms Award: Constable Jovarn Simmonds posted to Wellington District.
Driver Training and Road Policing Practice Award: Constable Alfred Cathro posted to Wellington District.
Physical Training and Defensive Tactics Award: Constable Luke Cherrington posted to Tasman District.

Demographics:
30.6 percent are female, 69.4 percent are male. New Zealand European make up 69.4 percent of the wing, with Māori 4.1 percent, Pasifika 4.1 percent, Asian 20.4 percent, LAAM 2.0 percent.

Patron:
Keven Mealamu MNZM is a proud man of faith and family. A former All Black with over 100 test caps, he brings the values of teamwork, resilience, and discipline from rugby into business, governance, and community leadership. Keven has built and led ventures in health, wellbeing, and creative industries, while serving on boards and advisory groups that navigate complex strategic and cultural challenges.
As owner and director of FIT60HQ Gym and Protect For Life Insurance Brokers, he is passionate about helping whānau and businesses safeguard their futures, focusing on legacy, prosperity, and socially responsible decision-making. Keven is committed to strengthening people, organisations, and communities across Aotearoa. Keven was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in 2016 for services to rugby.

Watch out for our Ten One graduation story coming soon with more images and details.

Issued by Police Media Centre

ENDS

MIL OSI

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An IT project behind the overhaul of firearms regulations has been put on hold, due to uncertainty over what is needed.

A Treasury report from last September, released this week, rated the ‘Arms Transformation’ project as red.

It suggested the police minister intervene to “resolve major issues”.

“Yes, it has been rated red, however nothing has gone wrong,” police told RNZ on Friday.

Usually a red rating in a quarterly investment report meant real doubt a project could be delivered.

In this case a so-called ‘Gateway’ review was done and found “there was uncertainty about the ICT and system requirements that would be required should a new regulator be created”.

Setting up a new regulator depended on a bill still before Parliament.

“The work has been paused, while the legislative process is ongoing,” Firearms Safety Authority business transformation director Richard Wilson said.

He said the Arms Transformation Programme had gone well since it began and was previously rated green/amber.

A digital registry of firearms was built on budget in 2023 and this was being expanded. A review last year found the registry should achieve public safety objectives, once it was fully embedded.

The authority was working with Treasury and the Ministry of Justice on it, Wilson said.

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Firearms owners say the government’s overhaul of gun laws doesn’t go far enough to undo the “damage that was done” after the 15 March terror attacks.

A Muslim leader, meanwhile, told MPs to consider public safety over what was convenient for firearms owners.

Parliament’s Justice Committee has been hearing in-person submissions on the country’s new gun regulations, put forward in the Arms Bill.

Many licensed firearms owners expressed concerns the changes don’t go far enough, while the Police Association has criticised the new regulator being set up without sworn officers.

Support ‘with reservations’ from firearms groups

On Monday morning, MPs heard from firearms groups, gun control advocates, and the union representing police.

Much of the submissions from firearms groups focused on their problems with the existing legislation, and whether they thought the new bill would assuage them.

The New Zealand Deerstalkers Association supported the bill, with “some reservations,” feeling it did not go far enough.

“It fails to meaningfully unwind many of the bad policy decisions, the over regulation and the structural failures introduced since 2019, said chief executive Gwyn Thurlow.

“Farmers, land owners, and conservation agencies are calling for more effective game animal control and pest eradication and biodiversity outcomes but successive governments had stigmatised the use of firearms. This has not been resolved by this bill.”

Thurlow felt political fear and media pressure had “constrained” the bill.

“When lawful, fit and proper people exit the system because it has become too difficult, too intrusive, too hostile to engage with, public safety is not improved.”

Zac Dodunski, from the Taranaki branch of the New Zealand Antique and Historical Arms Association said the new legislation was the “first steps” in the right direction, considering the “damage that was done” post-Christchurch.

Fish and Game New Zealand supported the bill, but suggested “practical gaps” could be filled, such as making agency-owned firearms registered to the agency, not the individual employee.

The bill would also keep the firearms registry implemented after the 15 March attacks.

Despite supporting the intent of the bill, the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners (COLFO) said there remained a level of mistrust from firearms owners that information would be kept safe.

“The continued perception that the registry will magically solve gun crime, despite worldwide evidence to the contrary, will continue to be a bureaucratic burden around the New Zealand taxpayer’s neck,” said COLFO’s chair Brad Gallop.

New regulator questioned

The new regulator, without sworn police officers, was also met with concern.

The Police Association’s president Steve Watt said it was appropriate that the governance of the regulator and the enforcer were the same.

“Police being part of the FSA is an extremely important issue for us, as it does provide safety and security for our members, in the sense that there is coherent information sharing, and there is a robust system in place whereby we can share that information and make sure that safety and security is at the forefront,” he said.

“When we consider all the things that can be simplified, firearms isn’t one of them.”

Philippa Yasbek, co-founder of Gun Control NZ, said the bill’s “hostility” towards police involvement in the regulator was risky.

Yasbek said the bill was “not terrible, but it is messy” and anticipated Parliament would have to fix the legislation “many, many times” if the bill was passed in its current state.

But COLFO supported the change, with Gallop calling for a separate legal entity to ensure distinct separation of powers.

He had concerns that the FSA would still be part of police from a budgetary perspective, meaning police could still have influence on the FSA.

“There are still some issues around the bureaucracy that has been created by the FSA that have overly complicated licensed firearms owners to both renew their license and also transact on a day to day basis with the FSA,” he said.

“The issue we have is not with licensed firearms owners’ ability to register their firearms. The issue is the mistrust within the firearms community of the ability of the police at the moment to keep that information safe.”

The process of appointing a chief executive to the FSA was “significant,” Yasbek said, as she felt it was an “unconstitutionally precedented arrangement.”

She called for a merit-based appointment, with the process led by the Public Service Commission, instead of one appointed by the Governor-General.

“The risk cuts both ways, it could be that someone’s appointed who I think is far too close to the gun lobby. Alternatively, governments change, and suddenly it’s someone who’s seen as completely hostile to gun owners.”

Abdur Razzaq from the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand also opposed the method of appointing a chief executive.

“There needs to be a merit-based approach, and when that merit-based approach is bypassed by political appointees, under whatever guise, I don’t think we could accept that.”

Razzaq said the convenience of lawful firearms owners should never come above public safety, and called on the committee to keep the “tangible grief, the lasting grief, the memory, and the legacy” of the 51 people who died in the terror attacks in mind as it considered the bill.

“The bill is not only about making the whole licensing system more efficient, it is not only about making the system more convenient for lawful users, and there are many Muslim licensed gun users. It should also be about, does it make New Zealand safer? We request this last metric be the central argument in your deliberations. That should be the litmus test.”

He told the MPs on the committee the future of the nation’s safety and wellbeing was in their hands.

“You will be accountable,” he said.

What does the bill do?

The bill as introduced would repeal and replace the 1983 Act, introducing new penalties and tougher restrictions for gang members.

Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee had sought a carve out for competitive shooters to access military-style semi-automatic firearms, but failed.

It would also reform the Firearms Safety Authority without sworn police officers, and headed up by its own chief executive, who would report to the firearms minister, instead of the police minister.

At its first reading in December, Labour supported the bill, while the Greens and Te Pāti Māori opposed it.

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Child poverty activists say families are having to make impossible decisions and go without life’s essentials following the release of new Stats New Zealand data.

The statistics agency said one in seven kids are living in material hardship, according to research conducted between July 2024 and June last year.

Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston has said reducing child poverty was a priority and that the government is making changes to improve the lives of families.

Advocates were calling for change after the latest data on child material hardship did not show a statistically significant difference compared to 2024 and 2018.

But it did show a statistically significant increase compared to 2022.

The Children’s Commissioner said the data shows there are 47,500 more children in material hardship in 2025 than there was in 2022 (169,300 compared to 121,800).

Children’s Commissioner Claire Achmad said affected kids were going without key life essentials.

“I’m talking about things like access to fresh fruit and vegetables, being able to go to the doctor or the dentist, being able to have a good bed to sleep in.

“I think we can all agree no child in New Zealand should be going without these things.”

Dr Achmad said half of the children in poverty had parents that were in work – so it was important people have pay that can lift kids out of deprivation.

She said child poverty needs to be a priority for successive governments.

“Children cannot wait for our economy to improve. Children get one chance at childhood, and we’ve got to act and get this right now.”

Child Poverty Action Group communications manager Isaac Gunson said some families were being forced to make ” impossible decisions”.

“They are paying power and rent so they can keep the lights on and keep a roof over their head, and they are going to see if there is anything for them at the foodbank.

“No one in this country should be having to make decisions like that.”

Social advocate and BBM founder Dave Letele said there needed to be change.

Unless support was provided, Letele said the conditions kids lived in would deteriorate.

“The New Zealand that our grandkids grow up in will be even worse. It is going to be seen more unsafe.”

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the current stats weren’t good enough.

“We want to see a reduction in child poverty, but I also have to acknowledge it has been an incredibly difficult time.”

Luxon said it was important the economy was run well for low-income New Zealanders.

Upston said reducing kids’ material hardship was a priority in the government’s child and youth strategy.

Upston said they have made a number of changes to improve the lives of Kiwi families such as the in-work tax credit and introducing their FamilyBoost policy for childcare.

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