Police Minister Mark Mitchell admitted that he got it wrong yesterday, when he stated that the government's goal of 500 new cops would be achieved over three years rather than two.
Video / Mark Mitchell
In what has been 24 hours of confusion over the Government’s plan to increase the police workforce, Mitchell claims he was incorrect when he said the target of training 500 new police needed to be extended by a year - an assertion he had made to multiple media organisations and in the House.
Mitchell, as per the rules of the House, corrected his answers from yesterday during Question Time today and claimed he had been trying to reflect the recruitment challenges police faced. He restated the Government’s agreed goal between National and New Zealand First that the 500 target would be achieved in two years.
The saga has included evolving reports of a December meeting between the coalition partners which was initially described in a Newsroom article as featuring a resolution that the policy would be extended. Mitchell later confirmed there was a meeting but it was between National and NZ First and it wasn’t then decided to extend the deadline as it only involved a discussion of recruitment challenges.
Also revealed was the fact an emergency meeting between National and NZ First’s chiefs of staff took place last night, alongside a conversation between Mitchell and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, which reaffirmed the original policy.
Under persistent questioning, Mitchell backtracked from any suggestion he thought the 500-officer target couldn’t be achieved in two years by arguing his previous comments to media were a reflection of issues with recruitment.
“I was probably reflecting back the challenges that as the incoming Government we were briefed on ... big challenges around recruitment.
“I’ve been completely up front, no one’s thrown me under the bus.”
Asked whether he would stake his job on it, Mitchell said no. It’s not the first time he’d been asked this type of question - last year he promised to resign if New Zealanders didn’t feel safer under his watch.
“I think it’s going to be challenging but I think we can do it,” Mitchell said.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell correcting his comments in the House. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Asked whether he could guarantee the target would be achieved, Mitchell said: “Yeah well that’s the commitment, that’s what we intend to do.”
The recruitment challenges Mitchell was referring to included police’s inability to fill graduation wings, the number of officers set to retire and recruitment drives orchestrated by Australian states to attract Kiwi cops.
Mitchell, a former police officer, said while he was aware of recruitment drives from Australia, he claimed to have been caught completely by surprise by low graduation levels and soon-to-be retiring officers.
He said he’d learned of the true scale through the briefing he received as the incoming Police Minister and claimed to have “no visibility” over those issues while in Opposition.
A search of New Zealand Parliament’s website found Mitchell and several other National MPs had received data on graduation levels through multiple written questions to the various police ministers during the last term.
Luxon said his Government would “go after big goals” and while he admitted sometimes goals weren’t achieved, the Government was “determined to hit this one”.
NZ First leader Winston Peters characterised the matter as a “difference of opinion” and wasn’t fazed by the need for a meeting between the chiefs of staff.
“As you’d expect, this is gonna be a tidy coalition. When things go slightly awry, we get them back on track real fast.”
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters revealed there had been a meeting of the chiefs of staff last night. Photo / Mark Mitchell
It appeared Act had not been involved in last night’s meeting and leader David Seymour wouldn’t say whether his party was represented at the December meeting, citing confidentiality.
Nevertheless, he said he didn’t expect to be notified of such a policy change, given it was one agreed between National and NZ First.
“If they were asking to get additional funding and bring the police numbers in even faster than expected, that would have an effect on the Government’s resources to achieve other priorities including Act’s, we might want to be included.
“Had they decided that they wanted to relax their ambition for recruiting police then I actually think that was regrettable but it wouldn’t directly affect Act’s policy agreement.”
He believed the target could be achieved if the Government put its “mind and resources” to it.
Senior NZ First MP Shane Jones said the matter was above his pay grade and referred questions to Peters.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins indicated this outcome had parallels to his experiences working with Peters and NZ First in the 2017-2020 Government.
“Certainly, the ground does seem to shift a lot when you’re working with New Zealand First, that would be my experience.”
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.
