A Bay of Plenty Police inspector was offered a cruise for 20 staff two months after the Whakaari/White Island eruption while police were making inquiries on behalf of the Coroner.
The gift had an estimated value of $20,000 and was returned to cruise ship operator Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, with a detective inspector saying it could have been seen “as a conflict of interest”.
Since 2015-16, Bay of Plenty Police has been gifted cash, vouchers, AEDs, pounamu, tool engravers, alcohol and food from members of the public, newspapers, businesses and charities.
Most of the gifts were accepted and either donated to a charity or shared among staff, and two were declined.
The cruise was the gift with the highest individual estimated value and was offered on February 21, 2020, two months after the Whakaari/White Island eruption on December 19, 2019.
The eruption claimed the lives of 22 people, including passengers from the Ovation of the Seas.
Speaking on behalf of Bay of Plenty Police, Detective Inspector Lew Warner said under police instructions, a gift worth that much “would never be acceptable”.
“Furthermore, police were completing inquiries on behalf of the Coroner following the Whakaari eruption. Therefore, acceptance of this gift could have been perceived as a conflict of interest.”
Police instructions provided clear advice for any employees offered a gift or hospitality, which may be offered to police to thank them for their service or as an appreciation, Warner said.
“In the interest of transparency and accountability, New Zealand Police maintains a central gifts and hospitality register.
“All offers of gifts or hospitality that could create an actual, perceived or potential conflict of interest should be reported, regardless of their value and whether or not they were accepted. And all offers of gifts or hospitality of a value greater than $50 should also be reported, whether or not they were accepted.”
Employees were provided with a list of principles to help determine whether a gift or hospitality offer could be accepted. They included, but were not limited to:
On August 25, 2018, an officer declined a $40 gift voucher for a health shop. Otherwise, all gifts were accepted by Bay of Plenty Police employees.
The majority were not kept for one person and either subsequently donated to charity or shared among staff.
On July 31, 2020, a constable accepted a voucher valued at $50 from an individual.
Warner said the voucher was offered because the officer provided support to a witness during court proceedings, and due to the “modest value”, sharing it made it impractical.
“The officer was offered the voucher ‘for the help and support [the officer] has given this witness and whānau throughout this process [as] they have gone above and beyond’, and the Acting Area Commander authorised them to accept the voucher in these circumstances.”
Meanwhile, $150 cash was accepted by a senior constable on March 17, 2022, and used for a staff morning tea.
Warner said the offer was made by someone whose spouse had died “in a traumatic incident”.
“Such situations are covered in Police’s policy, and accepting the gift was a compassionate action in the circumstances, intended to honour the wishes of the dead person’s spouse.
“The receipt of the gift was approved by the District Commander, with any monetary balance after the morning tea to go to charity.”
A guide for public organisations published on the Office of the Auditor-General website about controlling sensitive expenditure said cash gifts were unacceptable “in any circumstances”, and it expected public organisations to “carefully consider” whether accepting a gift was appropriate.
It also expected organisations to record the acceptance of all gifts, except for inexpensive ones, and to consider recording in the registry what gifts that were offered but turned down.
A spokesperson said New Zealanders needed to be able to have “trust and confidence” in the public sector, and that’s why gift registries were important.
“It is unacceptable for any employee to use their role to advance private business interests or seek any sort of personal benefit. To protect their integrity, all public organisations need to be open and transparent about how they manage any gifts received.
“By being transparent, including by keeping a gifts register, organisations can explain to others the reasons for any gifts and how those gifts were used.
“This helps remove any perception that receiving a gift affected an organisation’s or individual’s decision-making.”