In his apology to victims of abuse of children and adults in state care, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said, “You have waited and waited for people to start listening to you. Now New Zealand has listened. Words do matter and I say these words with sincerity: I have read your stories, and I believe you.”
It now seems like it was all a bit of an act, going by his response to Green MP Tamatha Paul talking about how many people in the community find the police intimidating. Has he really been listening to victims and what their lives are like? His government seems intent on perpetuating the misery.
Last month, Paul told a panel discussion at Canterbury University she had received “nothing but complaints” about police patrols in her Wellington Central constituency. “It’s that constant visual presence that tells you that you might not be safe there, if there’s heaps of cops,” she said.
She also accused police of “waiting for homeless people to leave their spot, packing their stuff up and throwing it in the bin”. She said other things in a way that probably didn’t help her cause. But the gist of it – that there are people in the community who are intimidated and distrustful of the police – is absolutely correct.
I know this because I’ve dealt with dozens of state abuse victims, and many victims who gave evidence to the Royal Commission of Inquiry said the same. Many of the victims end up living on the streets. Catastrophic childhood trauma will do that to you.
Further, the police service’s own research recognises what she was saying. Understanding Policing Delivery, a report of independent research it commissioned from 2021-24, states: “There are people in our community who perceive they are unfairly targeted for searches, especially warrantless searches, [and] feel they are subjected to greater use of force.”
It highlighted police behaviour including “mocking and condescending language, abrupt or aggressive approaches, more than one officer issuing demands, presence of police dogs, unprofessional language and behaviour”. It also stated, “There are people in our organisation who feel unsafe at work and marginalised by other staff.” If their own staff don’t feel safe around their colleagues, how might a homeless person feel around these officers?
Did politicians and the media mock that research? Did they even read it? The report reinforces earlier research that found police were biased in the way they responded to Māori at every stage of their engagement, compared with non-Māori.
Of course, Māori have multiple reasons going back generations to be suspicious of the police. Taranaki Māori maintain that at the 1881 invasion of Parihaka, the Armed Constabulary raped women before sending pacifist leaders off to something approaching slavery.
In the early 20th century, police arrested men from Waikato-Tainui who refused conscription because of the theft of their lands.
During the 2007 Uruwera raids, police illegally set up roadblocks and photographed children. Those kids will be adults now and probably parents. Do you think they teach their kids that the policeman is your friend?
Government ministers – and some media commentators – were in such a hurry to slag off Tamatha Paul that they missed all this.
If you hoped Labour would put up some opposition, you’d be dreaming. Chris Hipkins labelled Paul’s statements “ill-informed, unwise, in fact were stupid”. Hipkins is a coward.
Luxon branded Paul’s comments “outrageous and insane” and praised the “incredible job” police are doing. Minister of Police Mark Mitchell thought Paul’s statements “laughable”.
The media did a poor job of covering the story. It all seemed like a case of entitled ignorance.
Luxon, Mitchell and Hipkins apparently can’t comprehend why some people are hostile to the police, so here’s a couple of lines from the Royal Commission’s report that connects institutions such as Hokio Beach School and Kohitere Boys’ Training Centre to the formation of gangs and the prison population: “Sexual abuse was pervasive. It was inflicted on survivors by staff members, occasional adult visitors and other boys. Survivors were placed in secure facilities for attempting to escape abuse and neglect at Hokio and Kohitere by running away. Most absconders were returned, often by NZ Police, without inquiry as to the reasons for the absconding and were further punished.”
Does Mitchell think it’s funny the police took children back to paedophiles? Does he find it laughable that, years later, police failed to investigate those perpetrators when victims made criminal complaints?
Tamatha Paul may not have articulated her views that well, but the people she is talking about are real and their fears and distrust of the police are real. But in spite of the Prime Minister’s apology, these people are clearly not seen or heard by Luxon, his Police Minister or Chris Hipkins.
