Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro
Police commissioner Andrew Coster announced on Tuesday he would be leaving the top job six months early to take up a new role heading a Social Investment Agency.
He took over from Mike Bush in 2020, under the Labour government. In July, Coster indicated he would not seek a second term.
University of Canterbury senior lecturer and sociologist Jarrod Gilbert told Nights he was not surprised by the announcement.
In December, shortly after becoming police minister, Mitchell issued a "letter of expectation" to Coster and delayed expressing confidence in him.
"The new minister [Mark Mitchell] made it reasonably clear he wanted to go in another direction, so no, I don't think anybody was surprised by this."
What does a police commissioner do?
Gilbert said the role was "fiercely independent ... which is an important rule of our democracy".
"While they get guidance from the minister, without question, that independence still necessarily holds. It's a big role."
The commissioner had to manage a "huge workforce", and was given "extraordinary powers", but also had to be politically savvy, he said.
They also needed to understand their place in the criminal justice system, "that they're not the be-all-and-end-all, they are a cog - an incredibly important cog - in a slightly bigger wheel".
How will Coster be remembered in the role?
Coster had had to navigate some "strange politics" while in the role, including Covid-19 lockdown restrictions at the start of his tenure and the Parliament protest, Gilbert said.
While leader of the opposition, National MP Simon Bridges really "went after" Coster in ways Gilbert thought were "unfair", he said.
"The police commissioner can't fight back against that."
Coster had received both brickbats and bouquets for his move to "policing by consent".
"This is one of the ... foundational principles that drive modern police services around the world.
"Because the opposite of that... [is] a police force imposes its will on people, whereas policing by consent says, hang on, the police need the consent of the community to operate in ways we would like them to."
Ultimately, Coster was "undone" because he was "incredibly intelligent" and leaned on those big principles, Gilbert said.
Major investigations - such as the crackdown on the Comanchero gang - took time and energy, which was not always visible to the public.
"[With] that acute violence the gangs are up to, the police are extremely good at knocking that down. It just takes a little bit of time. In the meantime, it's long enough for politicians to come up with all sorts of laws and fancy ideas when in reality, you just need good, old-fashioned policing."
Who will be New Zealand's next police commissioner?
Police Association president Chris Cahill told Checkpoint someone coming into the role needed a good level of experience across many areas of policing, operational focus, an understanding the challenges in districts and understanding that you need to work with a variety of departments.
"It's not a job that a lot of people would want and it's certainly a very stressful job... some ways you can't win no matter what you do."
Gilbert agreed with the New Zealand Herald's Jared Savage it was a two-horse race between deputy commissioner Jevon McSkimming and assistant commissioner Richard Chambers.
He compared the appointment process, however, to "a cross between Survivor and Game of Thrones".
"It plays out really quite publicly - there's sort of lobbying and all sorts of things."
Gilbert predicted Coster's successor would not reverse the "policing by consent" approach.
"Fundamentally, the New Zealand police won't change - and nor should they. If you think about our cops ... internationally, we look extremely good and our trust and confidence numbers are comparatively very, very high.
"Overall, it's not perfect - but the New Zealand police are in pretty good shape."
