Haumaha findings on way: Ardern

The Prime Minister says the findings of the inquiry into the controversial Wally Haumaha appointment will be released “very shortly”.

Though yet to read the report, Jacinda Ardern said Cabinet received an oral briefing on it yesterday.

“The minister [Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin] is currently looking at the process she needs to go through around its release to individuals who were involved with the report,” Ardern said. “Our expectation is that it will be released very shortly.”

The inquiry, completed by Mary Scholtens, QC, on Friday, looked at the process leading up to Haumaha’s appointment as Deputy Police Commissioner. The inquiry was announced after the Herald revealed in June controversial comments made by Haumaha during the Operation Austin investigation in 2004.

Haumaha was friends with Brad Shipton, Bob Schollum and Clint Rickards from their time together in the Rotorua police station in the 1980s. Louise Nicholas accused the trio of raping her in group sex sessions and the police opened Operation Austin to investigate the claims.

Shipton, Schollum and Rickards were acquitted on charges laid from Nicholas’ evidence, the jury unaware Shipton and Schollum were already in jail for raping another woman.

Haumaha was interviewed during the investigation and called Shipton a “softie” and Schollum a “legend” with women. Police Minister Stuart Nash said he was unaware of the comments when he gave Haumaha’s name to Ardern for the role.