Source: Radio New Zealand
Both Chris Hipkins and Mark Mitchell have denied Andrew Coster’s claims. RNZ
A lot has happened since the Independent Police Conduct Authority released a scathing 135-page report into how police handled allegations of sexual offending against former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming. National Crime Correspondent Sam Sherwood explains the latest.
Just days after RNZ revealed former Commissioner Andrew Coster had resigned, an interview aired between Coster and TVNZ’s Q+A.
The biggest thing to come from the interview was Coster claiming he had briefed both former Police Minister Chris Hipkins and current Police Minister Mark Mitchell about the allegations against McSkimming before they say they were made aware.
Both men have strongly denied Coster’s claims.
This is important because after the IPCA’s report was released one of the big questions was who knew what, and when they were told.
Mitchell has said he was not told until 6 November last year. Hipkins has said he was never briefed during his time as Minister of Police or Prime Minister.
Former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster RNZ / Nick Monro
So, what exactly is Coster saying?
During his interview with TVNZ’s Q+A Coster said he told Hipkins that McSkimming told him he had an affair with a “much younger woman” and that the relationship “soured badly” and she was now emailing “all sorts of people with allegations about him”.
He said the briefing was in 2022 in the back of a car while the two men were travelling in the South Island.
He said he was unable to prove the conversation occurred.
“It’s simply my account.”
He said a big reflection for him was to take better notes, adding he wrongly assumed people would not “run for the hills”.
As for Mitchell, Coster says he also told him.
“There is no way I was only just telling him about this in my last couple of weeks in the job,” he said.
“We had discussed this informally through 2024…”
He did not have the exact date, but said it was an “informal conversation” in the same terms as his conversation with Hipkins.
Asked why Hipkins and Mitchell would deny that, he said: “you would have to ask them”.
“All I can say is no-one wants to be close to this.”
Further pressed on why he should be trusted, Coster said: “I acted honestly, I acted in good faith, my judgements were wrong and I accept that”.
Chris Hipkins RNZ / Mark Papalii
How have Mitchell and Hipkins responded?
Well, Mitchell’s response was stern.
He said it was “disappointing” that following his apology after his resignation, Coster was “trying to deflect and relitigate matters”.
“I firmly stand by all my statements and facts presented in relation to the IPCA report. Mr Coster’s recollections are wrong.
“I want to make very clear that Mr Coster never briefed me, either formally or informally, about Jevon McSkimming and Ms Z prior to 6 November 2024. I would note his recollections of disclosures in the IPCA report were often found to be inconsistent and unreliable.
“If Mr Coster’s focus is on relitigating matters, there are legal recourses available to him and if he truly believes what he is saying, nothing prevents him pursuing those.”
He also confirmed the IPCA informed the Public Service Commission they were assessing information in relation to McSkimming in October 2024, but said he was not given any information around the nature of it.
Hipkins also denied Coster’s allegations.
“I was never briefed on Jevon McSkimming’s relationship with Ms Z during my time as Minister of Police or Prime Minister. Had I known what has now been detailed in the IPCA report, Jevon McSkimming would never have been appointed to the role.”
Mark Mitchell RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
What about these emails?
The IPCA report mentioned that Ms Z was charged in May last year with causing harm by posting digital communication in relation to more than 300 emails she allegedly sent to McSkimming’s work email address between December 2023 and April 2024. The emails included abusive and derogatory language directed towards McSkimming and other people.
The summary of facts, obtained by RNZ, said multiple emails had also been copied to Coster, Deputy Commissioner Tania Kura, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Mitchell.
The day after the IPCA’s report, Mitchell revealed 36 emails containing allegations about McSkimming were sent to his office, but he never saw them.
A protocol had been put in place for police staff in Mitchell’s ministerial office to forward the emails directly to then-Commissioner Andrew Coster’s office, and not share them with Mitchell or his political staff, he said.
Coster told TVNZ’s Q+A the first he heard of the allegation was after the IPCA report was released.
“I had absolutely no knowledge of that whatsoever. I can’t validate whether that was, in fact, a protocol that was in place, but what I can say is there’s no way in the world that agency employed staff in a minister’s office are able to prevent the minister or the minister’s staff from seeing email coming in on the minister’s email address.
“The role of the agency staff is to have emails given to them by the minister’s own staff to prepare responses for the minister through the agency, there’s just, there’s just no way that police staff in Minister’s office could, could somehow intercept.”
Coster said he had seen a file note that was prepared by police in recent weeks, which said there was a conversation between the head of ministerial services – who is not in the minister’s office – and the director of Coster’s office about emails that came through in late 2023 and early 2024.
“It was ‘there are these emails. What do I do with them?’… the file note says the direction was send them through to Deputy Commissioner Tania Kura, who was overseeing the process.”
Jevon McSkimming RNZ / REECE BAKER
Coster did not know why the “retrospective note” was created.
“I imagine there will have been some concern across more than one Minister’s office about … where did all these emails go, and who saw them and and I assume that this paperwork was created in response to those conversations.”
Police’s chief operating officer Andrea Conlan then released a statement which said police could confirm a handwritten file note was made at the time of a discussion with the director of the office of the former commissioner on 17 January, 2024, regarding the processing of emails to Mitchell’s office.
The manager of Ministerial Services was asked to speak with the minister’s office staff on 11 November, 2025, to outline how the emails sent to the office were handled.
“The handwritten file note was typed up by the manager after that conversation (and some detail added from memory). This was to make a digital record in parallel with the email the manager was asked to provide the minister’s office confirming the earlier conversation (and the process followed) in writing.
“Nobody asked for the file note to be prepared, but a confirmation email was requested by the minister’s office following the conversation on the morning of 11 November.
“Following the 17 January, 2024 conversation, at the request of the director of the office of the (former) commissioner, the manager of Ministerial Services provided hard copies of the emails to the (former) commissioner’s office.”
The manager also spoke to the staff member in the minister’s office to convey the director’s instruction.
“This was not included in the file note, but these actions corroborate what was documented in the manager’s original handwritten file note.”
What’s happening with McSkimming?
McSkimming pleaded guilty in the Wellington District Court last month to three representative charges of possessing objectionable publications, namely child sexual exploitation and bestiality material knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that the publication is objectionable.
He will be sentenced next month.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand