Waatea News Column: Some good news to start 2022

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The NZ Police have finally backed down and have agreed to stop illegally photographing Māori children in public.

The tactics were first made public last year when Wairarapa Police were caught taking photographs of Māori children in public for little more than street level intelligence.

The idea that children would some how get less rights when it comes to having their identities taken from them was always going to be a difficult argument to make and the Police clearly saw that the community would no longer accept this kind of policing.

Anyone under 17 is classed as a youth and the Police can’t interview them without consent or a caregivers consent. Taking photos of them in public with identifying details for no reason whatsoever is more Police state than democracy.

The new guidelines will explicitly direct Police only if a youth has been arrested or served with a summons and those photographs have to be done on official cameras by official photographers.

That young people’s civil liberties have been trampled for so long without it being pulled up is a testimony to how invisible bias still dominates policing culture in this country.

1 victory down, a thousand more to come!

Happy New Year and welcome to 2022.

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

First published on Waatea News.

7 COMMENTS

  1. gross and deliberate over reach also absolutely no practical use other than database building….wouldn’t solve 1 crime, so why? bureaucracies like parasites seek to expand.

  2. The origins of the NZ Police is predicated on ethnically cleansing Maori from their lands and livelihoods to make way for European settlements.

    British imperial troops popularly known as the “Red Coats” (although in NZ they often fought in a dark blue outfit) and did most of the fighting on the crown side before 1865 were progressively withdrawn from the colony between 1866 and 1870 and those remained during this period took no active role in the fighting even in moments of great crisis.
    Settlers relationships with ‘Mother country’ sank to an all time low as they were forced to look to their own resources (and to ‘loyal Maori’) to continue the fight of subjugation.

    New Zealand did not have its own standing army until 1862 when the colonial defense force was established. It was limited to a statute to no more than 500 men, who would enroll voluntarily for 3 year terms of service. Divisions were stationed at various locations around the North Island and were deployed during the Waikato invasion of 1863-64.

    In 1867 the Colonial Defense Force was replaced by the Armed Constabulary, combined military and policing roles. The Armed Constabulary along with Maori allies did most of the fighting for the crown during the later phases of the NZ wars. They were also prominent in efforts to suppress the non-violent resistance movement to land confiscation that emerged out of Parihaka, in Taranaki, after 1879. This campaign culminated in the invasion of the settlement by 1,600 members of the constabulary and volunteers on the 5th of November 1881. Later in 1886, the Armed Constabulary was split into separate military and police units, the forerunners of the modern-day New Zealand police and army.

    • that was actually an interesting post mate,
      now I maybe wrong on this but weren’t many of the militias composed of ex-brit soldiers who predominantly served in india who were given/promised land if they retired to NZ rather than returning to the pestilent slums of victorian britain…bit of a no-brainer really.

      • British Infantry Regiments and the Dates They Served in New Zealand:

        12th East Suffolk Regiment-1860-67
        14th Buckinghamshire Regiment-1860-66
        18th Royal Irish Regiment-1863-70
        40th Somersetshire Regiment-1860-66
        43rd Monmouth shire Light Infantry-1863-66
        50th Queens own regiment-1863-67
        57th West Middlesex Regiment-1861-1867
        58th Rutland shire Regiment-1845-58
        65th Yorkshire North Riding Regiment-1846-65
        68th Durham Light Infantry-1864-66
        70th Surrey Regiment-1861-66
        80th South Staffordshire-1840-44
        96th Manchester Regiment-1843-46
        99th Lanark shire Volunteers Regiment-1844-47

        Following the 1845-46 Northern wars, the Royal New Zealand Fencibles corps was established to defend the settlement of Auckland. This consisted of retired British Army Veterans (referred to as pensioners) who were provided with a cottage and an acre of land in return for their serving for 7 years. The Fencibles as they became known, were stationed at Onehunga, Otahuhu, Panmure, and Howick. In all around 720 men were recruited under this scheme. In 1849 large numbers of Tainui men entered into an agreement with the crown to serve on near Identical terms and a 486 acre area at Mangere was allocated for them. Wanting security of title so they could invest in a mill, Tainui later exchanged land in the Waikato for outright ownership of their Mangere estate.

        The Concept of military settlers was revived in the 1860s. Even before legislation providing for the confiscation of Maori-lands had been passed, in August 1863 the government began recruiting the first of what is hoped would be 20,000 men to occupy the newly conquered territories. In return for three years military service in the confiscated areas, these men would get pay and rations while on active duty, and receive land grants ranging from 400 acres for a field officer down to 50 acres for privates. Ultimately the numbers recruited were considerably lower than planned.

        Here a link for helping anyone interested in studying New Zealand History. http://www.enzb.auckland.ac.nz/

        • While that’s an impressive bit of copying from the records, you failed to point out that the “land wars” were largely over by 1864, so the British regiments were involved right up the the capitulation of the tribes… Saying that the militias, and regiments raised here in NZ around that time weren’t “British” in the truest sense in the world is actually misleading.. As a student of history, you will know very well that British immigration was still rampant into the 20th century, so the claim that NZ’s constabulary grew out of the genocidal military agenda is also misleading at best… The NZ police were modelled largely on the example of the “Bow St Runners” which was a nickname given to the earliest policemen in England at the time Nz was being “cleansed” for more arrivals from “home”… In short, the premise of your assessment is flawed, and unhelpful…

          • While that’s an impressive bit of copying from the records, you failed to point out that the “land wars” were largely over by 1864, so the British regiments were involved right up the the capitulation of the tribes…??

            January-March 1867: Tauranga Bush campaign

            Following the battle at Te Ranga in June 1864. Significant numbers of Tauranga Maori laid down their weapons, attending a hui at Te Papa on the 25th July 1864 to sign a declaration of loyalty to the crown but others refused to surrender, and fighting would return to the district in 1867, when Crown confiscation began to encroach on land Maori still occupied and cultivated.

            When it became clear the the Crown might not be able to find 50,000 acres to confiscate between the Waimapu and Wairoa rivers, as had been promised, surveyors employed by the government began to survey lands west of Wairoa river, extending towards Te Puna. Tauranga Maori were warned by governor Grey in March 1866 that if they did not agree to this extension he would resort to extreme measures.

            Chutes Campaign January 1866:

            Greys peace proclamation was ultimately empty political posturing. War and confiscation continued across the North Island. Lieutenant-General Duncan Cameron was replaced by, Major General Trevor Chute who had none of his predecessors reluctance. The Irish-born officer had been implicated in the brutal reprisal that followed the Indian rebellion in 1857, including the execution of many prisoners, who were blown to pieces after being strapped to the end of British cannons. He brought a similar uncompromising and ruthless approach to the War in New Zealand after arriving in the colony in August 1865. Chute was not concerned about differentiating between hostile and ‘friendly’ Maori. All were considered fair targets for attack.

            War at Wairoa: December 1865- January 1866

            Omarunui and Petane: 12 October 1866

            Te Ngutu-o-te-Manu: September 1868

            Moturoa: 7 November 1868

            Tauranga Ika: 1869

            Te Porere 4 October 1869 …

            “Saying that the militias, and regiments raised here in NZ around that time weren’t “British” in the truest sense in the world is actually misleading..”??

            Never said such a thing!!

            As a student of history, you will know very well that British immigration was still rampant into the 20th century, so the claim that NZ’s constabulary grew out of the genocidal military agenda is also misleading at best…

            Drawing on classical and modern historical cases, ethnic cleansing may include colonial or frontier cleansing of indigenous populations, forcible population transfers, and mass expulsions following partitions of postwar settlements, ideological ‘classicides,’ and elements of genocide.

            The NZ police were modelled largely on the example of the “Bow St Runners” which was a nickname given to the earliest policemen in England at the time Nz was being “cleansed” for more arrivals from “home”… In short, the premise of your assessment is flawed, and unhelpful…??

            If that the case why were they committing crimes against innocent people?? Stefan I think you’re more suited to commenting on FB post rather than applying your lack of historical facts with reputable commentors citing facts.

    • And this is why it shouldn’t be framed as a racist issue. (my comment that wasn’t allowed) It was a police over reach no doubt, but it wasn’t racist. As an aside to my previous comment. It was a Maori officer that photographed the 2 white kids i know. I know you won’t post this comment but you will read it and thats all i want anyway.

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