Former cop says Pacific trust in police needs rebuilding after report

The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) has found that senior New Zealand Police leaders mishandled multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming, in what it describes as a major failure of the police integrity system.

The report, released on Tuesday, outlines serious complaints made in 2023 and early 2024, including allegations of non-consensual sexual interaction, threats involving an intimate recording, and misuse of police property to further a sexual relationship.

It found senior leaders accepted McSkimming’s version of events without proper scrutiny and bypassed the integrity checks usually required in such cases.

McSkimming resigned in May after police discovered he had used a work device to access objectionable images. He pleaded guilty in court last week to three representative charges of possessing child sexual exploitation and bestiality material.

The IPCA says the case highlights wider systemic failings: that “the findings in this report graphically demonstrate that the integrity system needs to be strengthened in order to ensure that it operates with transparency, fairness and independence when conduct issues arise at any level in police.”

The IPCA report covers only how police handled the initial allegations before the formal investigation began in November 2024. A review of the investigation itself is still in progress.

Former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming arrives at court. Photo/RNZ / Mark Papalii

Pacific communities concerned

Alf Filipaina, Manukau Ward councillor and former police officer, says the report is deeply troubling for Pacific communities, who already carry historic mistrust of authorities.

Speaking with William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Filipaina described the conduct highlighted in the report as “disgusting” and stressed that frontline officers should not be blamed for failures at the top.

“Our Pacific community has lost and are losing the faith in the police. The police officers who are serving our community on the street, they are there because they want to help. They want to help our community and do as much as they can to keep our community safe.

A younger Alf Filipaina, during his police career. Photo/The Right Track

“The staff that are out there now on the street doing the work, it’s got nothing to do with them. As the IPCA pointed out, this had to do with the top echelon of the police.”

Filipaina, who served as a police officer in South Auckland for 38 years, says the fallout is already affecting frontline morale.

“Some of the staff I still talk with at Counties, they're getting some snide remarks and that's not called for, for those that are on the street and serving our public and the face of the police, so it's really damaging.

“Once all the enquiries are done, I think there's a lot of work that Richard, the Commissioner, is doing to claw back that faith from our community.”

Police Commissioner apologises

In a statement, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers says the behaviour of senior leadership was “inexcusable” and apologised to the woman who made the complaints.

“The usual integrity checks and balances were bypassed, there was interference from the highest levels, and the ambitions of a senior police officer were put above the interests of a vulnerable woman. She was ignored and badly let down. That was unacceptable.”

Listen to Alf Filipaina's full interview below.

Historic trauma shapes Pacific and Māori trust

Filipaina says events like the Dawn Raids of the 1970s continue to influence how Pacific communities perceive policing.

New data in Understanding Police Delivery, a 2024 report produced with the University of Waikato, shows Māori are 11 per cent more likely to be prosecuted than Pākehā.

The report also notes that officers’ split-second threat assessments may be influenced by factors such as physical size, gender, and ethnicity.

Another study found Pacific men were the most likely to be tasered by police - a pattern Filipaina underscores why communities are demanding stronger accountability in the wake of the McSkimming case.

Photo/PMN News/Candice Ama

Government and police response

The IPCA has made 13 recommendations for police and two for the Government, focusing on strengthened oversight, leadership accountability, and improved complaint-handling processes. All have been accepted.

Chris de Wattignar, a former Deputy Commissioner, has been stood down from his role at the Civil Aviation Authority, and former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster has been placed on leave from the Social Investment Agency while further inquiries continue.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell says the failures relate to senior leaders, not the wider workforce.

“There are more than 15,000 police officers nationwide who serve and protect our communities with distinction and bravery. It is imperative that New Zealanders have trust and confidence in the Police. That’s why the Government is taking these findings extremely seriously,” he says in a statement.”

Public Services Minister Judith Collins (L) speaks after the damning IPCA report into police conduct, with Police Commissioner Richard Chambers (C) and Police Minister Mark Mitchell (R) in the background. Photo/RNZ/Samuel Rillstone

Mitchell also praised staff who raised alarms internally, saying they have “shown exceptional moral courage. They have done themselves, their colleagues, and their organisation proud”.

McSkimming has not publicly responded and did not answer questions at his court appearance.