Turia Tariana: Ministerial Statements — Taser Guns—Introduction 
Turia Tariana: Ministerial Statements — Taser Guns—Introduction 
[Volume:649;Page:17977] 
Hon TARIANA TURIA (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
: 
 Thank you Madam Speaker. I was thinking that the convention applied to only those parties with six or more members; that is why I did not stand to seek the call. I thank you for the opportunity to speak. 
There are four elements to our issue. The Maori Party is opposed to Tasers. The Greens have outlined all the reasons why we are opposed to them but we believe that particular groups are more likely to be shot by a Taser gun and shot when it is unwarranted or inappropriate. These groups include youth men Maori Pasifika peoples people in a mental health crisis and political protestors. The international evidence has highlighted the probability of ethnic targeting and we know that in Houston the police data showed that in almost 1000 Taser deployments 63 percent of those Tasered were black despite the fact that black people make up only 25 percent of the population. The Taser literature details countless rallies campaigns and lobbies that have emerged alleging racial profiling—that the dark skin colour of victims is the cause of a lethal judgment against them. Stephen Johnson a 22-year-old black college student Tasered in 2005 summed up his position when he said the police “are using tasers as a way to keep black people subordinate”. We would be very concerned if that happened here in Aotearoa given that 56 percent of Tasered subjects have been Maori or Pasifika. 
There has been no robust case made for introducing a lethal weapon in front-line policing nor has there been any comprehensive research on the long-term health effects of Taser use. When developing the business case for Taser guns the New Zealand Police looked only to the recommendations of the Project Lincoln report which was limited by its focus on investigating only lethal weapon options. We note that today’s announcement comes hot on the heels of a low-key media release from the police just 3 months ago when the police decided to use the Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle as their preferred option in dealing with armed situations. For those not familiar with this rifle up until 3 months ago it was deployed only by the armed offenders squad. 
There has been no public consultation on the Taser gun trial to canvass the associated risks or how the public might be protected from misuse of the Taser. 
The Maori Party is firmly of the view that police use of lethal weapons is a ministerial policy matter. Again during the course of mediation of our complaint to the Human Rights Commission the police stated that the Minister of Police could have made a different decision. 
We come back then to the call from the Campaign Against the Taser lobby group the Human Rights Foundation the Peace Foundation lawyer Marie Dyhrberg the Council of Trade Unions and the Howard League amongst others. That group called for the police to halt the Taser proposals and to concentrate on traditional methods and for a rigorous independent and impartial inquiry to be carried out as recommended by Amnesty International. 
We are concerned that all too soon this weapon will be seen not as an alternative but as an addition. We are concerned that resorting to the Taser will erode the already fragile trust between the citizenship and the law and that the old-fashioned police skills of wit reason and negotiation will be lost in a whole new category of police-public interaction. We are concerned that Tasers pose a disproportionate risk to many of the most vulnerable: the pregnant the young those with mental health or drug problems or those with heart conditions. We are concerned that “mistakes” will be made and that there will always be the possibility of misuse and the potential for abuse—for the Taser to become a tool of torture. We know only too well that having trialled these new powers it is extremely unlikely that the authorities will ever surrender them.