POLICE POWER vs PERSONAL PRIVACY
On Monday, Arian and I head to Wellington to push back on a bill that quietly expands police power in ways that should concern every New Zealander.
As it stands, the Policing Amendments Bill gives police broad authority to collect and record information with almost no clear limits. Vague terms like “reasonable” and “may” leave the door wide open for excessive data collection, with little clarity on how long that data is kept or how it is used.
It doesn’t stop there. The bill also expands police powers to shut down roads and public spaces, raising serious questions about what this could mean for protests and public dissent, especially alongside the Government’s proposed move-on orders.
Our rights to privacy and freedom of assembly are in the crosshairs. We are going to make sure these risks are heard clearly.
Let me be clear. At PILLAR we are not anti-police.
Police play a vital role in a free society. But trust in policing is under real strain, and it is not hard to see why.
Over the past two years, New Zealand has seen hundreds of documented cases of misconduct, abuse of power, and investigative failure. In 2025 alone, the Independent Police Conduct Authority recorded more than 150 cases. Dozens more have already emerged in 2026. These include unlawful arrests, excessive force, misuse of police databases, fraud by officers, and failures to properly investigate serious allegations. Just a handful of those headlines are shared in this email!
At the highest levels, we’ve seen some of the most serious policing scandals in recent history. A Deputy Police Commissioner faced serious allegations, yet leadership failed to act decisively. Investigations were delayed. At points, it appeared the institution was being protected ahead of justice.
At the same time, deeper systemic issues are emerging. Tens of thousands of breath tests falsely recorded. Internal direction not to investigate certain crimes. And now, proposals to expand surveillance powers even further.
Taken together, this is not a series of isolated incidents. It points to a pattern. Weak accountability. Institutional protection. Growing power without sufficient safeguards.
So here is the real question: If those entrusted to uphold the law are not consistently held to it, who is?
What police need is reform. They need clarity. And that clarity should not come in the form of expanded powers.
At its core, this is about a deeper issue. Safetyism.
The expressed mission of our police is “safer communities.”
To steal from one of Americas founding fathers, Ben Franklin, he said
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
New Zealanders deserve freer communities.
Risk minimisation is not the same as justice. Pre-emptive policing is not the same as protecting a free society. And police surveillance and data abuse serves nobody.
We will be making that case in Wellington.
