WhatsApp messages obtained by Sue Grey, leader of the NZ Outdoors and Freedom Party reveals longstanding cronyism between former Commissioner Coster and disgraced Jevon McSkimming.
In August 2022, well after senior police were on notice of the allegations against Jevon McSkimming, Andrew Coster, the then Police Commissioner secured support from Chris Hipkins (then Minister of Police) and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for creating a statutory position for McSkimming. (see WhatsApp below)
Cabinet signed off on new statutory roles for Deputy Commissioners in December 2022, and Jevon McSkimming was appointed by the Governor-General in May 2023, apparently without his checkered past being raised or addressed.
Coster continued to protect McSkimming throughout the process of recruiting his own replacement Commissioner, actively covering up investigation into McSkimmings past.
The Whatsapp messages, one of which is below, were obtained as part of the New Zealand Outdoors and Freedom Party (NZOFP)’s research which included many hundreds of OIA requests into the Covid response and police conduct during the 23 day protest at Parliament starting in February 2022. Alan Simmons, party founder and former co-leader was admitted to hospital for a week, for an emergency hip replacement after he was assaulted by police with riot shields when he was videoing their aggressive behaviour early on 2 March 2022. He was 74 years of age at the time. Despite a series of complaints to the police and IPCA, the grievous bodily harm that the police caused was never publicly acknowledged. Alan’s complaint was one of over 1900 complaints about police excessive use of force, infliction of injuries, lack of respect for fundamental human rights and the use of weapons including LRAD and Rubber Bullets against the New Zealand public who were peacefully protesting against oppressive and discriminatory mandates.
The OIA’s include 60 pages of other WhatsApp Messages between Andrew Coster as Police Commissioner, Prime Minister Ardern and various Ministers at a time when the police claimed to be politically independent.
The Whatsapps and subsequent events show the history of nepotism is deep, and while the new statutory role for disgraced Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming was promoted as enhancing independence between police and politicians, it in fact highlighted the opposite.
McSkimmings statutory role as Deputy Commissioner was approved by the Labour cabinet in Dec 2023 and he was appointed by the Governor General, with the stated objective of protecting police independence.
There appears to have been no short list for candidates for the new statutory role of Deputy Commissioner that Coster pushed for, with support from former Prime Ministers Chris Hipkins and Jacinda Ardern.
Instead the Cabinet approved and the Governor General rubber stamped the existing deputy commissioners Jevon Mcskimming and Tania Kura without review of their fitness to hold these roles.
Key documents
The Cabinet-paper/tracking briefing that sets out the background for the creation of the statutory Deputy Commissioner role in New Zealand Police states:
“Appointments: Deputy Commissioners of Police” (Public Service Commission briefing for the Prime Minister/Minister for Police) dated 3 April 2023.
Key extracts explaining the rationale:
- In December 2022, Cabinet “agreed to establish one or more additional statutory Deputy Commissioners of Police.”
- Deputy Commissioners are appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, under the Policing Act 2008.
- One of the key reasons for the statutory role is that, if the Commissioner is incapacitated or absent, one of the statutory deputies will assume the office until an acting Commissioner is appointed.
- It notes the appointment process must satisfy a ‘fit and proper person’ test (honest/trustworthy with the necessary experience) and that the Public Service Commission managed the process on behalf of the Prime Minister and Minister for Police.
New Zealand is going to be paying the price for Ardern’s regime for a long time.
Sadly the current iteration of the fake-democracy uni-party isn’t any better.
Don’t forget Your one source of truth
We are one
Safe proven effective
Yes You are absolutely correct
The corruption started and perfected by the mysteriously wealthy Clark and Cullen, was perpetuated by Key who fixed up much of Clark and Cullens mess but mysteriously didn’t touch the Aussie banks, supermarkets, and insurance companies, perhaps for a lucrative post politics bank chairmanship.
Multiple reports have told the government the big Aussie companies are colluding illegally
Then along came the Clark advised Ardern who was presented with the best excuse for NZs biggest taxpayer fraud ever, covid.
Why Clark advised? Hell you didn’t think Ardern was capable did you?
And now we have Nicola Willis actively supporting the illegal price fixing Aussie banks taking $8b a year in excess profits back to Australia.
But Willis can’t be acting alone.
Luxon had 2 years watching Willis lie to Kiwis about the Aussie price colluders, about debt coming down (it isnt), and about her deep involvement in the Coster/McSeimming cover up (Coster was empliyed by Willis when he lost his police job), and has done nothing!
Other hard working, honest, and decent National and ACT MPs are staying quiet whilst they watch Willis wreck their poll numbers.
Why?
This has been going on for decades, there is a fine line between the police and criminals at times, these days with a good DEI mix especially of men and women – and we all know what happens there.
Bear in mind also that in NZ if you are the victim of a crime the Police are generally your friend. If they are standing on the steps of Parliament defending Government policy then they are part of the security apparatus. This smug lot introduced rubber bullets to NZ thinking there were very moral and clever. Oh how the worm turns.
Nothing to see here, right? That’s what we will see because we have no accountability on behalf of politicians and their agents, such as the so called police, in New Zealand. So my advice if you see them cross the road or walk the other way. No community is “safer” when they are around. Mind you, we have the FBI now, who are somehow doing their job in a foreign country that have no right to be in, so maybe we wont even exist as a nation for much longer, becoming yet another US state.
These 2 cronies were appointed by Labour Cronies, how long before we turn that rock over? or will the Cronies in the ruling Govt decide not too?
You are only as good as Your people
Goes the same for any business or organization
Police being none different
Unfortunately we appear to have gone through the bottom of the barrel
Why were restrictions relaxed and lifted for eligibility upon entering the police force starting with height?
Because we are getting a bit short
Cops covered in tattoos don’t appear and are not perceived as being the cops of yesteryear
Which is being seen in the display and performance we are now witnessing
Standards are dropping and declining everywhere the police being no exception