Former speaker Trevor Mallard being sued by child
politics court about 1 hour ago
The former speaker of the House Trevor Mallard is being sued by a child over blasting repetitive bad music from loud speakers during the parliament protest and occupation in 2022. Lawyer for the child Tudor Clee spoke to Charlotte Cook.
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RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Waikato police officer makes 1700 off-duty database queries
By Al Williams, Open Justice reporter of Photo: 123RF A police officer made around 1700 checks of a person on the police database while off-duty for non-work-related reasons, claiming they believed doing so would make them a "good cop". The Waikato officer's actions led to an investigation that involved an audit of their use of the database. It identified around 1700 queries conducted by the officer between March 2023 to October 2024 while off-duty, according to a report by the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA). The investigation found that, except for "a check that was probably work-related", the officer did not have a work-related reason for any of the queries. As a result, it was found their actions breached police policy and the code of conduct. The officer acknowledged that their use of the database was wrong. They said the checks were for their own information, as they mistakenly believed it would make them a "good cop". An employment process was undertaken to address the breaches. The IPCA's investigation report said the authority oversaw the police investigation and agreed with the outcome, which was not mentioned in the report. But the authority considered there was sufficient information available to suspect the officer had committed an offence under the Crimes Act by accessing the database for non-work-related reasons. "Accordingly, the Authority recommended that Police conduct a criminal investigation as well as an employment investigation at the start of their process," the report said. Relieving Waikato District Commander Superintendent Scott Gemmell said police considered the case did not meet the threshold for prosecution and the officer was subject to an employment process. "NZ police rightly hold all staff to high standards. The misuse of the National Intelligence Application [NIA] is not tolerated and if an employee is found to have inappropriately accessed or misused information, a disciplinary process with appropriate sanctions will be applied." However, Gemmell did not provide the outcome of the process. "Police have the same privacy obligations as any employer, and as such, does not comment on individual employment matters." He said police were focused on performance improvement and expectation setting and this year all staff had been "firmly" reminded that NIA searches must be conducted for legitimate work-related purposes only. The IPCA's report came within days of it being revealed that 50 police employees snooped into the file relating to the death of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming without good reason. An Official Information Act request released to NZME confirmed there have been 76 instances of misuse of the database this year. - This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
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5 hours ago
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50 Years On: Petition Calls For Review Of NZ's Outdated Drug Laws
Campaign: Modernise Our Drugs Act A new petition is calling on Parliament to launch an independent regulatory review of New Zealand's outdated Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 (MoDA) and its associated framework, including the Psychoactive Substances Act 2013. Launched under the banner Modernise Our Drugs Act, the campaign is non-partisan and focused on sound governance — not ideology. The petition specifically calls for the review to be led by the Ministry for Regulation, to ensure an evidence-based, impartial assessment of whether these laws are effective, efficient, fair, and fit for purpose in 2025 and beyond. 'This is about public interest and modern regulation. These laws haven't had a full review in 50 years — it's time to assess whether they're working, not from a moral or political standpoint, but through the lens of good governance.' Why Now? Outdated framework: MoDA was passed in 1975 and reflects an era long past. Fragmented laws: Ad hoc amendments have created inconsistency and confusion. Equity concerns: Māori, Pasifika, and young people are disproportionately impacted. Inefficiency: Current laws impose high costs on police, courts, and health services with limited results. Global leadership: New Zealand has previously led the world on needle exchange, medicinal cannabis, and drug checking — it's time to lead again. What This Petition Is Not Calling For This campaign does not advocate for: The legalisation or decriminalisation of any specific substance Specific changes to health or justice policies Any predetermined reform outcome Instead, it simply calls for a regulatory review — a neutral, expert-led process to evaluate whether our current laws are achieving their intended goals and aligned with modern evidence. The petition is live on OurActionStation and open for public signatures: About the Campaign Modernise Our Drugs Act is a grassroots, cross-partisan initiative seeking an evidence-informed, modern approach to drug law in Aotearoa. The campaign is focused on clarity, fairness, and regulatory fitness — not on promoting any specific policy outcome.
RNZ News
13 hours ago
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'We just want her home': Missing 17-year-old last seen at mall in Auckland's New Lynn
Police are looking for missing 17-year-old Whetu Bennett, who was last seen at LynnMall in Auckland on Wednesday. Photo: Supplied / Police Police are seeking the public's help to find a 17-year-old girl who was last seen at an Auckland mall. Police said Whetu Bennett hadn't been seen since about 12pm on Wednesday when she was at LynnMall, in the suburb of New Lynn. However, Whetu's sister Janet Jones said her sister was last seen with her partner at Lynnmall on Tuesday around midday. Whetu was wearing a beige top, a black dress and sunglasses on the day she went missing, she said. Jones said Whetu's partner contacted their mother in the early hours of Thursday to tell her that he hadn't seen her since that day. She reported her sister going missing to the police on Thursday as soon as she found out from her mother. Jones said she understood Whetu and her partner had an argument at the mall and her partner had bused home from the mall by himself. She said Whetu moved to Auckland from Hamilton about two or three weeks ago to be with her partner and look for work. She hadn't spoken to Whetu since the move, as Whetu doesn't have a mobile phone, she said. Jones said if Whetu needed to message anyone, it would need to be done through her partner's phone. Jones said it's unusual for Whetu to be missing for so long. "No word from her over this amount of days is wild... at least one of our siblings, we come from a family of ten, one of us would've heard something from her at least. "All her siblings are waiting to hear from her, and we just want her to come home, just to message us and one of us will come and get her wherever she is," she added. A police spokesperson said on Saturday night, Whetu was still missing and police would assess information as it came in. The spokesperson said a family member reported Whetu missing and that the teenager had recently moved to Auckland from Waikato. Police re-posted the appeal three hours ago and asked anybody who knows the whereabouts of Whetu to contact police on 105 and quote the police reference number 250626/5181. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
