An upset police staff member wound up in a verbal altercation with Grey District mayor Tony Kokshoorn after finding him "wired" with a television recording device during a private chat.
The discovery, in the pressure-filled days after the Pike River Mine disaster which took 29 lives, led to tension inthe relationship between some officers and Kokshoorn, the popular face of the grieving district.
A police national headquarters spokesman, when asked about the incident this week, said: "There was an incident that involved Mr Kokshoorn [who] had not declared he had a microphone on."
The spokesman said police were aware of "one incident" and it was a matter between Kokshoorn and TV3, who had wired him up.
Kokshoorn said the incident happened during filming of a 60 Minutes documentary. He said a camera crew was following him around and he was constantly wired for broadcast.
After leaving a public briefing, said Kokshoorn, he was pulled aside by a police communications staff member for a discussion. The pair had been in discussions for a short while when a camera operator approached and began filming.
Kokshoorn said the staff member was affronted and asked what was going on. However, he said, the misunderstanding was straightened out.
