Why are there so many offensive comments on the New Zealand Police Facebook page and are they breaking the law? Janaye Henry investigates. New Zealand Police Facebook pages – there are a number of them, for different regional police districts around the country – are an interesting place to spend an hour or two. They … Read more
There are many unanswered questions about how technologies are being used, why they are necessary, and whether they risk infringing on human rights or privacy, write Andrew Chen and Kristiann Allen. The idea of “emergence”, in a philosophical sense, is the notion that a system can have properties, behaviours and naturally forming rules or patterns … Read more
The uncertainty of Covid-19 has resulted in an explosion of online and phone-based scams. Here’s what the experts recommend to identify and defend yourself against these insidious rackets. It begins with a phone call. A tech support expert from your bank is on the line, urgently informing you there’s been a security breach with your … Read more
In October 2019, she laid a complaint of sexual assault. Police say they’re ‘still waiting for a free detective’ to assign to the case. Emily Writes reports. For Anne*, the morning of Thursday October 31, 2019, is indelibly printed on her memory. At 11.30am, she was brutally sexually assaulted in her home, she told The … Read more
An extract from the splendid new book Weed: A New Zealand Story, by James Borrowdale. Books editor Catherine Woulfe writes: Weed is a masterclass in longform feature writing, a clever hopscotch through history, statistics, law, chemistry and neuroscience. Plus it’s packed with people and their yarns. Not many writers could keep their footing for all … Read more
A video of the arrest of a Māori man has gone viral, as police violence goes under the microscope globally. The police say the man violently resisted and their behaviour was appropriate. But the video reveals a familiar cycle, argues Emilie Rākete. A week ago, police commissioner Andrew Coster stood in St Peters Church in … Read more
Last night the new police commissioner, Andrew Coster, spoke at a vigil for George Floyd held at St Peter’s Church in Wellington. The events of the past few weeks have given us all opportunity to reflect on our own community, on our own lives. As a father, as a police officer, I find the events … Read more
After 31 years on air, the American police television show Cops was finally cancelled on Wednesday. Is it time for New Zealand to do the same to Police Ten 7? After 32 seasons, Cops is over. And good riddance. It has been a long time since the controversial US show was on New Zealand television … Read more
Thousands of New Zealanders took to the streets on Queen’s Birthday to express solidarity with the US response to the killing of George Floyd. Here’s what went down. Despite it being announced with less than 24 hours’ notice, huge crowds gathered at Auckland’s Aotea Square on Queen’s Birthday to march in solidarity with the Black … Read more
Research released by justice advocacy group JustSpeak shows that racist, structural bias is still a huge problem in New Zealand Police. We have the tools to make things better, writes Laura O’Connell Rapira. Last week lawyer, children’s rights advocate, and my go-to karaoke friend, Julia Whaipooti, delivered a hard and heartbreaking truth on national television: … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Top cop candidate reportedly under investigation, second person confirmed to have Covid-19, and a critical and corroded Wellington pipe in the spotlight. The IPCA is currently investigating one of the frontrunners for the top policing job in the country, reports Newshub’s Tova O’Brien. They’re looking into an allegation, … Read more
On Friday it was announced that Armed Offenders Squad patrols will be trialled in Counties Manukau, Waikato and Canterbury over the next six months. The data suggests this will increase police violence and unfairly target Māori, writes Emilie Rākete. Police Commissioner Mike Bush announced on Friday that cars of Armed Offender Squad officers armed with … Read more
Authorities are failing to probe the root causes of truck accidents despite a rise in crash fatalities, writes business editor Maria Slade. Police did not have the authority to investigate possible health and safety causes of commercial truck crashes for two-and-a-half years thanks to a hole in the regulations. From April 2016 to October 2018, … Read more
At the heart of the issue surrounding Oranga Tamariki and their disproportionate uplifting of Māori children from their families is the desire for solutions to be found within iwi, hapū and whānau. Recognising that the Māori family structure looks different from the Western one would be a great place to start. In English we have … Read more
The Side Eye is a monthly non-fiction comic by Toby Morris, supported by NZ On Air. Read more comics here. Mark’s statistics can be viewed in more detail here.
As New Zealand grapples with the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shooting anger is growing over the ‘gaps, omissions and errors’ in our gun laws. In a day of extraordinary contrasts on Monday, the prime minister this afternoon said gun law reform would urgently pursued, while the man who sold weapons to the man charged with … Read more
Frontline police in Christchurch have been told to carry guns until further notice following two incidents in the city during which police were shot at. But more guns are not the answer, argues Emilie Rākete. Last Saturday, the police say a man fired shots at a patrol car in Christchurch. Then on Tuesday, after a … Read more
Three years on from making the word ‘dildo’ ubiquitous in respectable New Zealand homes, Josie Butler says ‘f*** you’ to a notice trespassing her from her own ancestral lands. Activist and nurse Josie Butler was served a trespass notice on behalf of the Waitangi National Trust on Friday, trespassing her from the Treaty Grounds, the … Read more