Protesters clash with police at Parliament, March 2022. Photo: VNP / Phil Smith
The police commissioner says he would not have done anything differently in the way police handled the protest and occupation of Parliament grounds last year.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority's 200-plus page report, released on Thursday, found almost all officers exercised professionalism and restraint dealing with a "level of public disorder rarely seen in New Zealand".
The IPCA said all police defensive measures that day - including shields, pepper spray and batons - were justified.
But it also found a number of faults by police - including a failure to equip officers adequately, and there were some isolated incidents of potentially excessive force by officers, which were being investigated separately.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster on Thursday said he was incredibly proud of the courage and professionalism his officers showed, and has reflected on how police handled the protest.
''On the face of it this was a situation we would have all liked to avoid, but actually I am incredibly proud of the way we navigated it," he said.
"I think the report reflects a really positive response from police and that this was not straightforward, so there is nothing I am going to call out to say I would do this differently - actually I am really pleased how all of our people responded.''
He said he is committed to implementing all of the IPCA's recommendations.
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Coster said there was no need for police to apologise for their actions during the protest occupation. He said it was an incredibly dynamic event with officers facing a challenging, provocative and volatile environment.
''This was the biggest event we had seen of this kind in 40 years, so in hindsight we could easily say we underestimated; however, when we compared to what had occurred in the preceding decades, this was an outlier, and that will always be a real challenge to predict.''
Coster said while there are hundreds of protests across the country each year, the scale of the occupation of Parliament's grounds caught them by surprise.
He said what shaped the protest was the number of people there and the strength of feeling they had.
''I think we are seeing a much more settled environment at the moment. In many ways our community remains very polarised, not just over these issues, over a range of issues and that is something that all of use have a responsibility to avoid violent protests playing out as they do.''
Police have purchased new equipment to store in case of another protest like the one in Parliament grounds last year.
The IPCA's review of the police response highlighted the urgent need for more body armour.
Coster said 150 additional sets of hard armour have been bought to be held in a central store. He said supplies across the country have also been reviewed and more body armour may be purchased later.
