All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Roast Busters: Cops could've done more

APNZ
9 Nov, 2013 09:12 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Police Commissioner Peter Marshall. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Police Commissioner Peter Marshall. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Police Commissioner Peter Marshall. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The country's top cop has conceded police could have gone public about the Roast Busters scandal earlier.

News of the group - whose members bragged online about having sex with drunk and underage girls - was made public in media reports last Sunday.

But it emerged during the week that police had received a complaint from a 13-year-old girl as far back as 2011.

Speaking on TVNZ's Q+A programme today, Police Commissioner Peter Marshall said police could have done more in hindsight.

"We could have gone into the public arena perhaps earlier - that's one of the areas that we're going to explore. But we had the best intentions at heart, to have victims come to us so that we could progress matters.

All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We're actually in the business of helping victims like this, we're in the business of putting people before the court where the evidence is there."

Police had investigated and interviewed members of the group, but no charges have been laid because police said there was not enough evidence.

Mr Marshall said police had called for more evidence this week.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The request this week, throughout all this week, was if there's anyone out there who can give very specific evidence, we would follow it through."

Police have been criticised about the questions asked of the complainant, now aged 15, including about what clothes she had been wearing.

Mr Marshall told Q+A the girl had been interviewed by a specially trained female interviewer.

He said it was important to have a description of clothing because that was "fundamental" when it came to interviewing a suspect later on.

Discover more

New Zealand|crime

Girls campaign online

08 Nov 06:45 PM
New Zealand|politics

Political leaders shun radio show

08 Nov 04:30 PM
Opinion

Paul Little: Victims face lack of respect

10 Nov 12:05 AM
New Zealand|crime

Pack-rape memories flood back to victim

09 Nov 04:30 PM

"I can understand, from a 13-year-old girl, being asked about clothing is unusual. She should have had it explained to her, I don't know whether she did. And I'm sure that she would find the whole question of an interview difficult."

In a 2007 report, Dame Margaret Bazley identified a culture of scepticism within police when dealing with sexual assault complaints. The report urged changes to police attitudes and behaviour.

Mr Marshall said Dame Margaret had wanted police to increase the number of people who had been formally trained in sexual assault complaints, and police had done that last year.

"We undertake dozens of interviews every month and I would say 99.9 per cent of the interviews conducted by our specialist interviewers are conducted in an entirely professional, appropriate way, and I'm sure this one was a well."

The Roast Busters scandal comes after Central District commander Superintendent Russell Gibson apologised in September for describing a 10-year-old rape victim as a "willing" participant.

Mr Marshall said that was a "disappointing comment" that was under intense review at the moment.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He disagreed police needed a cultural shift.

"No I don't, I think the New Zealand police has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Of course I would say that, but I make that point very clearly - I have absolute faith in the senior executive of New Zealand police."

Mr Marshall said he had a "very good team" working on the Roast Busters case.

"If there is the evidence, they will be charged, but the evidence requires people to come forward."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

$20m Powerball prize not struck, jackpots to $25m in Wednesday’s draw

14 Jun 09:23 AM
New Zealand

One dead after suspected medical event causes crash in Dargaville

14 Jun 09:02 AM
New Zealand

21yo woman missing overnight from Britomart makes contact with desperate dad

14 Jun 07:37 AM

It was just a stopover – 18 months later, they call it home

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
$20m Powerball prize not struck, jackpots to $25m in Wednesday’s draw
New Zealand

$20m Powerball prize not struck, jackpots to $25m in Wednesday’s draw

14 Jun 09:23 AM
Pier picks up Stradbroke consolation
Racing

Pier picks up Stradbroke consolation

14 Jun 09:22 AM
Chiefs beat Brumbies to book spot in Super Rugby Pacific final
Super Rugby

Chiefs beat Brumbies to book spot in Super Rugby Pacific final

14 Jun 09:03 AM
One dead after suspected medical event causes crash in Dargaville
New Zealand

One dead after suspected medical event causes crash in Dargaville

14 Jun 09:02 AM
Kazakhstan selects Russia's Rosatom to lead the construction of its first nuclear plant
World

Kazakhstan selects Russia's Rosatom to lead the construction of its first nuclear plant

14 Jun 08:54 AM

Latest from New Zealand

$20m Powerball prize not struck, jackpots to $25m in Wednesday’s draw

$20m Powerball prize not struck, jackpots to $25m in Wednesday’s draw

14 Jun 09:23 AM

The huge prize will jackpot to Wednesday night's draw.

One dead after suspected medical event causes crash in Dargaville

One dead after suspected medical event causes crash in Dargaville

14 Jun 09:02 AM
21yo woman missing overnight from Britomart makes contact with desperate dad

21yo woman missing overnight from Britomart makes contact with desperate dad

14 Jun 07:37 AM
How an Australian ex-banker's NZ visit resulted in a prison sentence

How an Australian ex-banker's NZ visit resulted in a prison sentence

14 Jun 07:00 AM
The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE
sponsored

The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search