Locke Keith: Appointments — Independent Police Conduct Authority 
Locke Keith: Appointments — Independent Police Conduct Authority 
[Volume:665;Page:13089] 
KEITH LOCKE (Green) 
: 
 Following the two previous speakers Christopher Finlayson and Nanaia Mahuta the Greens very strongly support the Independent Police Conduct Authority in its role. 
The setting up of the authority which followed on from the Police Complaints Authority has been a significant improvement. There was a huge backlog under the Police Complaints Authority—many years of backlog—and under the leadership of Lowell Goddard that backlog was cleared up. We pay tribute to the work of people like Mel Smith who has retired from the authority and also of course Allan Galbraith. 
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has been doing some very good work and I think it is important to have that control on police behaviour. We trust that the members being appointed to the authority will help very much to progress its work. We support the nomination of Miss Hauk-Willis whose background in the Public Service was outlined and of Dianne Macaskill who has a very distinguished career as well. 
The third nomination has created certain problems not only with the Greens but more generally with the public. There has been more questioning of the appointment of Edward Richard Woods better known as Richard Woods since it appeared on the Order Paper. I want to say straight off that I have found Mr Woods to be a very approachable very affable gentleman and I think he would bring that great asset to the job of sitting on the authority. People bringing complaints would feel quite comfortable with him. Certainly as the Attorney-General outlined he has a very long tradition of public service in different posts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade more recently at the Environmental Risk Management Authority and also for a period as director of the Security Intelligence Service. 
It is his role as head of the Security Intelligence Service for the period 1999-2006 that has caused some question marks to arise in the minds not only of members of the Green Party but also of members of the public. It is not that we should not have a former Director of Security serving in such a role of course; nobody would exclude that. I think the question arises because it is important for the reputation of the Independent Police Conduct Authority that a broad range of the public has respect for the people playing that role. The Ahmed Zaoui saga went on for many years during Richard Wood’s tenure as Director of Security and there was a perception in a big section of the public that Mr Zaoui was not given a fair go and that the Security Intelligence Service resisted the very thorough and rigorous decision of the Refugee Status Appeals Authority that Mr Zaoui was a legitimate refugee. The complaint was often made that the Security Intelligence Service paid too much attention to how going along with the decision of the Refugee Status Appeals Authority—if it went along with it—would be seen by other bigger security services. That was reflected in some of the Security Intelligence Service reports of the time. That creates a particular problem. 
Another thing that was allowed to happen during that period was the maintenance of a Security Intelligence Service file on a sitting MP—namely me. The exact responsibility of Richard Woods for that of course we can debate. But those two issues together create a public perception that questions whether he is the best appointment at this particular time. I feel slightly reluctant to bring that up because we are dealing with the qualities of an individual but when the Green caucus discussed it we questioned his appointment. I think from my own point of view—in bringing forward these questions which are questions in the public mind—in this case I hope that the Greens are proved wrong. Even though we are reflecting the public questioning of this appointment we know that this motion will get through today and in a sense we hope that we are proved wrong and that Richard Woods will do a very good job. But because we have those reservations we cannot vote for the motion here today. Thank you.