All information on the internal Police intranet "Hate Hub"
S.I made this Official Information request to New Zealand Police
This request has an unknown status. We're waiting for S.I to read a recent response and update the status.
From: S.I
Dear New Zealand Police,
Please provide me with all the documents, manuals, policy, training & advice and the associated linked pages on the internal police intranet based "Hate hub" as revealed by a senior police officer in the Free Speech Unions press release on the new hate speech policy being introduced by the Police.
In case there is any confusion the press release reads as follows:
"Used with permission from an unnamed Senior Officer (we've verified their identity). The last two sentences are particularly frightening.
"I am also a senior police officer (who, incidentally, did my master's dissertation on hate speech legislation).
I am very concerned by this training (it is only one example of the type of ideologically influenced and training that police staff have to complete).
There is also an internal, intranet-based "Hate Hub" for all things "hate" and staff have been directed that any reported incidents of hate speech that are not offences must still to be recorded as "hate incidents".
The test of what is considered a hate incident, according to policy, is anything the complaints feels is hateful towards them as a member of a minority group.
There is no objective test, only subjective.
Police don't take reports for other matters that are not offences without good reason, and it is deeply concerning that this is now policy.
The policy seems to have been introduced in a quiet, bit-by-bit manner over a number of months which raises the suspicion that it's been deliberately done this way to avoid public scrutiny.
I did not sign up to be the thought police, in fact I became a police officer to protect people's inherent rights, and this is deeply troubling." - Aug 2nd posted on x.com
I am a New Zealand citizen residing in Auckland my entire life so I am more than eligible to request this information.
Regards
SI
From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police
Tēnā koe
I acknowledge receipt of your Official Information Act 1982 request below, received by Police on 3 August 2024.
Your reference number is IR-01-24-27237.
You can expect a response to your request on or before 30 August 2024 unless an extension is needed.
Ngā mihi
Lisa
Ministerial Services
Police National Headquarters
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From: S.I
Dear New Zealand Police,
This information request is now due.
Please release the requested information, as per your obligations under the Official Information Act.
Regards,
S.I
From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police
Kia ora
Police acknowledge your email, and that the due date is by close of business today.
The request is awaiting internal approval, so will likely not be released till next week unfortunately.
You have the right to make a complaint about a delay to the Ombudsman. Information about how to make a complaint is available at http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
or freephone 0800 802 602.
Kind regards, Michelle
Ministerial Services - Police National Headquarters
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From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police
Tēnā koe Simon
Please find attached the response to your Official Information Act
request, received by New Zealand Police on 02/08/2024.
Kind regards,
Ministerial Services
Police National Headquarters
===============================================================
WARNING
The information contained in this email message is intended for the
addressee only and may contain privileged information. It may also be
subject to the provisions of section 50 of the Policing Act 2008, which
creates an offence to have unlawful possession of Police property. If you
are not the intended recipient of this message or have received this
message in error, you must not peruse, use, distribute or copy this
message or any of its contents. Also note, the views expressed in this
message may not necessarily reflect those of the New Zealand Police. If
you have received this message in error, please email or telephone the
sender immediately
From: S.I
Dear Ministerial Services,
My request is clearly on the subject the training, investigations, recordings and advice of 'hate incidents' and I included the media report from a senior police officer to further illustrate the subject matter.
As per your own website - https://www.police.govt.nz/advice-servic... you have publicly stated:
'Delivery of Te Raranga continues to progress well and new training at the Royal New Zealand Police College is teaching Police (from new recruits to Senior Leaders) about hate-motivated crimes and incidents. Since November 2022, Police recruits are assessed on how to respond to hate-motivated behaviour, as part of their initial training.
Resources and evaluation tools have been developed for Police frontline staff, so they can continue to learn beyond the Police college. Police staff have been appointed nation-wide to champion and support training.
Resources to support the public to recognise and report hate-motivated events, as well as where people can seek support, are currently in development.'
I am unable to see how you can claim under section 18(e) of the OIA as the information requested does not exist, as it clearly does.
FOR CLARITY - MY REQUEST IS NOT LIMITED TO JUST THE 'Te Raranga (The Weave)' PROGRAM, BUT FOR ALL OTHER TRAINING, ADVICE, POLICY DOCUMENTS ETC FOR ALL HATE ASSOCIATED INCIDENTS
I look forward to a more honest and informative reply with the associated information provided as originally requested, in line with your obligations under the Official Information Act.
Regards,
S.I
From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police
Kia ora S.I
I repeat your original request for ease of reference. You requested:
Please provide me with all the documents, manuals, policy, training & advice and the associated linked pages on the internal police intranet based "Hate hub" as revealed by a senior police officer in the Free Speech Unions press release on the new hate speech policy being introduced by the Police.
Your request specifically asked for material associated with the internal Police intranet based 'hate hub'. As stated in your response, Police does not have a 'hate hub' and therefore information relating to this does not exist, hence the refusal under section 18(e) of the OIA.
As also stated in your response, If you are interested in material related to hate-motivated crime and hate-motivated crime training, this will soon be publicly available on the Police website. Therefore, your amended request below for MY REQUEST IS NOT LIMITED TO JUST THE 'Te Raranga (The Weave)' PROGRAM, BUT FOR ALL OTHER TRAINING, ADVICE, POLICY DOCUMENTS ETC FOR ALL HATE ASSOCIATED INCIDENTS is refused under section 18(d) of the OIA that the information will soon be publicly available.
If you are still not happy with Police's response to your request you have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/ or freephone 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi,
Brittany
Ministerial Services
Police National Headquarters
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Mark Hanna left an annotation ()
I can't say I'm surprised to see NZ Police chose to interpret your request as narrowly as possible, instead of consulting with you to clarify its scope. You may wish to complain to the Ombudsman about this mishandling of your request.
In June 2024, the Ombudsman published an opinion (https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/reso...) regarding a different request that was similarly refused under s18(d). In this opinion, the Ombudsman laid out that:
"To be able to exercise the discretion to refuse a request under section 18(d) there must be:
a. reasonable certainty that the information requested will, in fact, be made publicly available;
b. reasonable certainty that such information will be, in fact, be made available ‘soon’ (and that it is sufficiently soon); and
c. the agency must be able to articulate when and where the requester would access the information."
I see that NZ Police have not provided any information as to when the information you have requested would be made available. You may wish to ask NZ Police to specify when it will be published on the Police website, and perhaps to complain to the Ombudsman about this refusal (especially if NZ Police don't provide you with specifics as to when the information will be made available).
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Mark Hanna left an annotation ()
Hmm, given the background of your request I wasn't expecting you to get an 18(e) refusal. So did the unnamed police employee quoted in the Free Speech Union press release lie, did the Free Speech Union lie, or have Police just failed to find the information you've requested?
I hope they haven't considered the name "hate hub" to be an integral part of the information you've sought, since it sounds like something only used colloquially. You may want to complain to the Ombudsman about this refusal, if you still believe the information you requested exists and is held by NZ Police.
Link to this