New Zealand Police Force internal emails contain racist words, commissioner calls for zero tolerance

Comprehensive report of New Zealand Chinese Pioneer Network Racial Relations Commissioner Dr. Melissa Derby said Northland police officers called the suspect a “little black 1” in the email.

The email was sent by a Maori police officer who wrote the term in response to a routine internal email. The email was originally requesting police to assist in identifying several suspects, but the reply was mistakenly sent to all Northland police officers. The email reads: “This guy is a little nigger…”

Inspector Riki Whiu, commander of the Far North Region, sent his reply to all the crowds, who considered the email offensive and did not meet the standards that the police should have. As a racial relations specialist, Derby wrote specifically that “racism is something we must work together to eliminate.”

“Would we be willing to be called by police, or anyone insulting words? Of course not. When we see racist behavior or hear racist abuse, no matter how casual or unintentional it seems, we cannot accept or normalize it,” she wrote.

An anonymous officer leaked the email to the media, saying it was an example of systemic racism in the police force. But Northland Supreme Superintendent Matt Srhoj called the email a “isolated incident” and said the officer had apologized.

He stressed that Northland’s police culture has never been like this. He also pointed out that slang and text-style language are used in emails, which should be understood in combination with tone and background.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell also defended his subordinates and said “like any organization, the police have been seeking continuous improvement.”

A year ago, a three-year study on police unconscious bias was released. The results show that Maori are 11% more likely to be prosecuted compared to white people.

Derby said the email was just one of three shocking racial discrimination incidents in New Zealand recently. She mentioned the second incident, Air New Zealand’s new CEO Nikhil Ravishankar suffered hate speech and racial discrimination for his Indian descent; the third incident was filmed, showing an Asian comedian being ridiculed by Asian-Hatee people on the stage. Derby called these “despicable racist attacks.”

“All rights are accompanied by responsibility, including the right to freedom of speech. We must select and use our words responsibly. We must treat others as ourselves as we wish to be treated.”