Dean Jacqui: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Dean Jacqui: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 26 June 2012. Volume:681;Page:3340. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki) 
: 
 The Independent Police Conduct Authority is an independent Crown entity and as it notes in its statement of intent for 2009-12 it has a role as watchdog over police actions. When the Chair of the Independent Police Conduct Authority Justice Goddard appeared before the Law and Order Committee she was very clear on that point—that the Independent Police Conduct Authority is there as an independent body on behalf of the public of New Zealand to scrutinise and take complaints about and write reports on behalf of the people of New Zealand on the New Zealand Police. 
It was interesting also in the evidence that Justice Goddard gave to the Law and Order Committee that she was well aware of the fiscal constraints that this present Government has and was satisfied also that the Independent Police Conduct Authority could fulfil its functions as a Crown entity in that environment. In fact Justice Goddard made no complaint at all about the requirement to operate within a constrained fiscal environment and seemed rightly satisfied with the work of the Independent Police Conduct Authority over the previous year in her evidence to the committee. 
What I believe was most notable in the evidence in the financial review to the Law and Order Committee was the comments that Justice Goddard made around its investigative capacity. In respect of the most serious matters brought to the Independent Police Conduct Authority it had been the practice that the authority would wait for the police investigation of that particular serious matter and then perhaps review it afterwards. So what is now the practice of the Independent Police Conduct Authority is that it itself undertakes the investigation rather than sitting back and waiting for the police to investigate themselves and then review that complaint after it had been determined. I thought that was a very powerful attitude to take and I commend the Independent Police Conduct Authority for taking that approach. As the Minister of Police has just mentioned Justice Carruthers will pick up the role of the Chair of the Independent Police Conduct Authority and we look forward to continuing with his contribution to the watchdog role over the New Zealand Police. 
The authority independently investigates all deaths and all instances of serious bodily harm caused by police employees. It also investigates or directly oversees the investigation of the most serious complaints against the New Zealand Police. This is an incredibly important role that the Independent Police Conduct Authority has and so the committee questioned the relationship the Independent Police Conduct Authority has with the police and what the relationship is like between those two organisations: the police and the watchdog. 
Well we were told that although the authority has a memorandum of understanding with the police—which was signed in 1994 so it is now a few years old—there is a good spirit of cooperation between the Independent Police Conduct Authority and the police and that in its view that agreement although it was useful is now largely irrelevant because both bodies understand very clearly their role. The point was made also that the two authorities were not in an adversarial relationship but actually were working on—and these are the words of the Independent Police Conduct Authority—a parallel path towards ensuring public confidence in policing. 
I just want to pick up on the comment made by the Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell about the deficit that was recorded of $538000. The Maori Party member noted that this was a bad thing. Well actually there is a simple explanation for that. The shortfall came about because of a very important child abuse inquiry for which it received an allocation spanning 2 financial years. Thank you. 
Report noted.