INDEPENDENT NEWS

IPCA report shows Haumaha was bad appointment

Published: Thu 20 Dec 2018 09:17 AM
IPCA report shows Haumaha was bad appointment
The Independent Police Conduct investigation into Wally Haumaha is extremely troubling and raises serious questions about how and why the Government appointed Mr Haumaha in the first place, National’s Police Spokesperson Chris Bishop says.
“The report, which is on the IPCA website, found that Wally Haumaha belittled and humiliated staff and inappropriately approached staff to support him after allegations were made. It also shows that he circulated information which would discredit a complainant.
“The report also shows that he loudly and aggressively asserted authority and while entering into an argument in front of other staff he put his leg on the chair immediately in front of a team member which was inappropriate, unprofessional and intimidating.
“The appointment by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of Wally Haumaha as Deputy Police Commissioner has been a debacle from the start. Mr Haumaha was not the preferred candidate of the State Services Commission selection panel, but was appointed by the Prime Minister anyway.
“Soon after his appointment, Mr Haumaha came under fire for alleged comments made about Police at the centre of the Operation Austin inquiry, notably that allegations against them were ‘nonsense’ and that the officers ‘have to stick together.’
The Government Inquiry into his appointment had to be re-started after the appointment of Pauline Kingi by Tracey Martin, who had endorsed Mr Haumaha 23 times on LinkedIn.
“Mr Haumaha’s ties to NZ First have also been repeatedly glossed over by the Government. His candidacy for NZ First in Rotorua in 2005 was never disclosed to the Cabinet, and NZ First Leader Winston Peters has never adequately explained how he came to be at Waiteti Marae during the middle of the election campaign in 2017 to celebrate Mr Haumaha’s promotion to Assistant Commissioner.
“His statement to Parliament that he was invited by the Government and Police National Headquarters was revealed to be a nonsense by material released by the Police under the Official Information Act – he was invited by the Marae itself and likely Mr Haumaha.
“The record shows that Mr Haumaha has close ties to NZ First. NZ First Deputy Leader Fletcher Tabuteau is related to Mr Haumaha and was mentioned in his maiden speech, and Mr Tabuteau’s uncle and close friend of Winston Peters, Tommy Gear, is a senior leader of the marae chaired by Mr Haumaha.
“The Prime Minister has had multiple opportunities to act, after repeated concerns raised by National but has failed to do so. Wally Haumaha’s position as the country’s second highest ranking cop is now untenable”.
A link to the report can be found here: https://www.ipca.govt.nz/includes/download.ashx?ID=153642

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