Q+A 2013 Episode 12 26/05/2013
Panel Discussions

PANEL DISCUSSIONS
HOSTED BY SUSAN WOOD

In response to ANNE TOLLEY interview

SUSAN WOOD
Jon Johansson, Helen Kelly and Charles Finny. Helen Kelly, we heard the minister saying she was standing beside the Commissioner of Police and then she was standing behind him. Hardly a fulsome apology.

HELEN KELLY - CTU President
No, and interview absolutely full of excuses and mitigating what actually happened to a very small community who have been severely traumatised. They were collectively punished, that community. There was an element of racism in there, and what we heard from that minister is actually a whole lot of excuses and downplaying what effectively happened, and they’re going to have to address this, and they’re going to have to treat these people fairly.

SUSAN And compensation, Charles Finny, will be the way it is addressed, one assumes?

CHARLES FINNY - Former Diplomat
I’m sure that there are people thinking about that. I’m interested in what also Annette King and the Labour Party are saying about this because it was Annette King as minister at the time that the raids took place.

JON JOHANSSON - Political Scientist
And the answer is not much. It’s an ends and means thing for me, and the minister this morning was saying that basically the ends have justified the means. Now, that is not the case here, and they cannot re-engage in the way that they’ve been urged to with the Ruatoki community until they do apologise. And it has to be a targeted apology. I mean, some of those stories there about the three kids stuck in for nine hours. I mean, the coercive powers of the state have to be used prudently, and they weren’t on that day, and there should be apologies issued for the people who suffered from that.

HELEN This is at a time where they’re expanding police powers and spy powers and all of this sort of role of the state. If they’re not prepared to then say when you overstep the mark, we will come down hard and defend the citizens that are affected, it’s a very, very bad sign.

SUSAN I see you nodding in agreement there, Charles Finny.

CHARLES I think there should be a fulsome apology, no doubt.

SUSAN All right. We’ll leave it there, panel. Thank you.

ENDS

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