Hikoi for parliament: Police officers identified supporting the hīkoi protest ‘to talk to’

One person commented online: “Don’t play politics at work, no matter how proud and sweet you feel at the time.”

“Do you think you’re keeping the peace? Until it escalates in no time. You are not helping, you are blurring the boundaries and reducing the public’s trust in you.”

Police Minister Mark Mitchell told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking Breakfast he was aware of the messages and discussed the matter with the police commissioner.

“In terms of maintaining public trust, it is very important that our police forces are seen as politically neutral,” he said.

“I don’t know what these young officers were thinking, they were not politically committed. Most importantly, however, our police are seen as politically neutral – it is critical to maintaining public trust,” he said.

“The police and the police commissioner are aware of this and have internal processes to deal with it.”

A police spokesperson told the police this Herald they were aware of the images of officers holding flags and signs relating to the hīkoi.

“Police are not aware of any formal complaints but were made aware of the footage – and this was escalated to managers for consideration.

“These employees have been identified and reminded of the guidelines and expectations for sworn officials regarding political neutrality, and their managers would be spoken to.”

This is what a spokesperson for the police union said Herald it was a police matter and the association was not involved.

One of the speakers at the hīkoi on Tuesday, Ngāti Toa chief executive Helmut Modlik, told the crowd that the day marked the start of something new.

“From this day forward, we will never stop our hapū, our iwi, until Te Tiriti o Waitangi is respected in this country.

“The time for change is here. The whole world is watching us to see what happens to Aotearoa,” Modlik said.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon did not appear for the hīkoi, but some National MPs did, including Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka.

When later asked if New Zealand was “united”, Luxon said there was no doubt the country was going through a “challenging time”.

“We need to work together and make sure we have a great future as a country, whether you are Māori or non-Māori. I think we have an innate potential in this great country of ours and it is our job to realize that.”

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