Terms of reference for Haumaha inquiry released
An inquiry into the appointment of top cop Wally Haumaha is expected to report back within weeks, Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters has announced.
Haumaha’s appointment as Deputy Commissioner of Police has drawn significant criticism from both victims’ rights advocate Louise Nicholas and the National Party.
Peters said Cabinet signed off an oral item appointing former senior public servant Dr Pauline Kingi to lead the inquiry, which would commence on August 6.
Police Commissioner Mike Bush said police would support Kingi ‘‘in every way’’.
‘‘We look forward to clarifying all matters raised recently as public trust and confidence and the reputation of police is our priority,’’ he said last night.
‘‘It is not appropriate to provide any further public comment at this time until the inquiry has been completed.’’
Kingi was a barrister and solicitor and had served in a number of very senior public roles, Peters said. Her inquiry would take up to six weeks and would inquire into the adequacy of the appointment process. It would not look into the suitability of Haumaha for the role, Peters said.
The issue of Haumaha’s suitability may or may not arise, but only after the inquiry had reported back, he said.
The appointment was criticised following concerns from Nicholas, who works with police to improve police culture.
Nicholas said she went to police top brass with concerns about Haumaha, over his relationship with the former officers she accused of raping her, back when he was being considered for an assistant police commissioner role.
Nicholas said she had seen a police statement from Haumaha, in which he questioned why she publicly alleged in 2004 that his friends – former assistant commissioner Clint Rickards and former officers Brad Shipton and Bob Schollum – had pack raped her as a teenager in the 1980s.
After seeing other statements, Nicholas said it was clear Haumaha had tried to block the investigation and dismissed her allegations ‘‘as just absolute nonsense’’.
Terms of reference for the inquiry posted by the Department of Internal Affairs include whether all relevant information was properly provided to, or gathered by, the State Services Commission during the appointment process and whether the SSC provided all the relevant information to ministers.