The police watchdog has released a scathing 135-page report into how the allegations were treated, and how the “ambitions of a senior police officer were put above the interests of a vulnerable woman”.
Someone who knows all too well what it’s like to step up to those in power is Louise Nicholas.
She alleged police officers raped her as a teen in the 80s. This resulted in criminal trials, a Commission of Inquiry, and the jailing of an officer for attempting to pervert the course of justice.
She is a campaigner for victims of sexual assault through the Louise Nicholas Trust, and told The Front Page that she first felt disbelief at the news.
“Then sadness, and then anger. A bit of deja vu thrown in amongst it all.
“But I soon realised that it came across as this time, police were actually doing something about it and not dragging the chain or dragging it out,” she said.
Nicholas has commended those who stepped forward to ensure concerns were raised.
“What we’ve gotta remember, it was senior staff that took control of that investigation and when somebody from underneath came in and challenged what they were doing, that to me is the hope that New Zealanders need,” she said.
In a press conference late on Tuesday afternoon, Public Service Minister Judith Collins also singled out the officers who did the right thing – who, in the report, are named Officer M, Officer D, and Officer V.
“But for the actions of Officer M, it is conceivable that Ms Z’s complaint may never have been heard, and the IPCA may never have been made aware of the concerning developments during 2024,” the report reads, “We commend her moral courage.”
“Thankfully,” Collins said, “There were at least three lower-ranked people who stood up for what they knew was the right thing, and one of them sent this matter to the IPCA as a complaint.
“And without her work, and the work of the others, this might never have seen the light of day.”
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said the woman at the centre of these allegations, known only in the report as Ms Z, was “ignored and badly let down”.
He has said it makes for “appalling reading” and the conduct of the former top brass is “inexcusable”.
Nicholas said it was a huge step to learn to trust police after her ordeal.
“A conclusion that I came to was that it wasn’t the New Zealand Police that hurt me. It was individuals within, and it’s the same for this as well.
“That’s why I’m advocating on behalf of those police people that I work alongside, that my team works alongside, every single day, right across the country. Because we know that you are doing the best that you can for our survivors.
“Don’t define what McSkimming and those others did and say, ‘Well, every cop’s the same’. They’re not,” she said.
Listen to the full episode to hear more from Louise Nicholas and also HELP Auckland executive director Kathryn McPhillips.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
