Barker Rick: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
Barker Rick: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
[Volume:646;Page:15672] 
Hon RICK BARKER (Associate Minister of Justice) 
: 
 I welcome the comments made by the previous speaker Hone Harawira and I welcome his observations. It is true that Justice Goddard has an ambitious plan to improve and strengthen the Independent Police Conduct Authority and it is true that a good deal of progress has been made. I am very pleased to be able to report to the Committee that the number of outstanding files has been greatly reduced—620-odd aged files that could have been classified as a backlog have been closed during the period of February 2007 to February 2008 and this is in addition to the ongoing processing of all current files. The number of complaints that have been referred to the Independent Police Conduct Authority has continued to fall in the last quarter—a drop of about 98. 
Mr Harawira also made the point that the commission under Justice Goddard intends to be proactive and independent. It is also true as he pointed out that the Independent Police Conduct Authority wants to ensure that the New Zealand public has a strong and justified perception of the integrity and the culture of our police force. The authority wants to take big issues very seriously and investigate them very thoroughly. 
I am pleased to be able to report to the Committee that the Independent Police Conduct Authority has had strengthening in terms of resources. It has more investigators a media liaison person and a chief executive and in addition to all of this it is the Government’s intention to strengthen the authority even further. The Government intends to introduce a bill that will enable the authority to conduct its own motion inquiries. That means it will not have to wait and rely upon someone to make a complaint. If the authority feels that something is wrong then it will be able to do something about it itself. Further the results of an authority investigation will be able to be used in subsequent proceedings in certain circumstances and importantly the authority investigators will have all the powers necessary to fulfil the authority’s enhanced functions. 
The final point which I think will be the most interesting and most telling is that in the future the authority will have the responsibility and authority to make prosecution decisions in authority-led investigations. All of this sets out to strengthen the independence and the confidence that the public can have in the Independent Police Conduct Authority. 
I reaffirm what Mr Harawira said: that Justice Goddard and a number of the authority did go and speak with Tuhoe directly as part of the authority’s investigation of the complaint laid by the people of Tuhoe. I think that is a very important step. It shows that Justice Goddard is a person who will have a hands-on approach will lead from the front and will be very directive about this. By being on the marae and hearing people voice their concerns with all the passion the feeling and the anger that they felt she could hear at first hand what the people felt rather than read it in a report. I commend her for doing that and I think it is a very very positive move. 
However with all these things the proof will be in the pudding. I am fully aware that the Independent Police Conduct Authority recognises that people will judge it on the quality of its reports and the quality of its actions. No one thinks that the New Zealand Police are above criticism. Of course people are right to have those criticisms but the criticisms should be constructive and they should be justified. There will be no placing of confidence in the police if we are to have unconstructive irresponsible criticism of the police. 
We want to have a police force that we can look to with pride and with confidence and to know that it is independent and will do an outstanding job for our country. This has in fact been the case with almost every facet of the activities of the New Zealand Police. The Independent Police Conduct Authority is there to ensure that we have the independence and oversight of the New Zealand Police force we need to ensure public confidence in the integrity and the strength of the New Zealand Police. I think that we can look forward to seeing good reports in the future that will give justice and substance to those beliefs. 
Report noted. 
Progress reported. 
Report adopted.