This is edition 2025/222 of the Ten@10 newsletter.
Hi all,
This is the Ten@10, where I collate and summarise ten news items you generally won't see in the mainstream media.
Enjoy!
1. In losing his job, Andrew Coster has got off lightly
Bryce Edwards
- 📰 Coster Resigns, But Justice Eludes: Andrew Coster’s resignation from the Social Investment Agency is portrayed as accountability, but critics say it’s a choreographed exit protecting him despite evidence of corruption.
- 🤮 “Sickening Wellington Bullshit”: Matthew Hooton condemns the culture of entitlement, cover-ups, and mediocrity surrounding Coster’s departure, calling it emblematic of Wellington’s rot.
- 🚨 Damning IPCA Report: The Independent Police Conduct Authority found serious misconduct, leadership failure, and deliberate cover-ups under Coster’s command — including suppressing complaints and misleading ministers.
- 🕵️♂️ Active Interference: Coster allegedly tried to influence the investigation and hid 36 complaint emails from the Police Minister to protect a deputy commissioner.
- 🦆 Ministers Once Called It Corruption: Judith Collins and Mark Mitchell initially described the police executive’s behaviour as corrupt and shameful when the report was released.
- 🧼 Revisionism & Whitewashing: Weeks later, officials led by Sir Brian Roche downplayed the findings, claiming “no evidence of corruption or cover-up,” contradicting earlier ministerial statements.
- 🧾 Scripted Resignation: Coster’s statement framed his departure as honest accountability, while politicians like Nicola Willis praised his “integrity,” softening public perception of wrongdoing.
- 🎭 Forced, Not Voluntary: Roche admitted he would’ve fired Coster if necessary, showing the resignation was extracted, not offered — yet it’s publicly spun as voluntary accountability.
- 🧮 Precedent Denied: Roche claimed the case was unprecedented, but the 2017 Martin Matthews scandal proved otherwise — showing similar accountability issues had already occurred.
- 💰 Golden Handshake Disguised: Coster walks away with $124,000 in lieu of notice after costly gardening leave, defended as “vanilla,” sparking outrage over taxpayer-funded rewards for failure.
- 🇳🇿 NZ’s Corruption Denial: New Zealand’s self-image as corruption-free fuels reluctance to call misconduct “corruption,” even when officials protect insiders and mislead oversight bodies.
- 🧩 Transparency International’s Euphemisms: The watchdog called it a “cultural integrity problem,” minimizing what was, by plain definition, abuse of power for private gain.
- 📰 Media Sympathies: Some journalists, like Luke Malpass and The Herald, depicted Coster as gullible or merely incompetent, despite evidence of deliberate deception in the IPCA report.
- 🛡️ System Protects Insiders: The so-called accountability process cushioned Coster instead of investigating possible criminal acts like perverting the course of justice.
- 🙍♀️ Victim’s Call for Inquiry: Ms Z, the complainant, demands a deeper probe into police culture, warning that calls to “move on” ignore systemic rot.
- ⚖️ Accountability Evaded: Ministers insist the IPCA report suffices, avoiding further inquiry and leaving the public with the sense of a cover-up of the cover-up.
- 🔄 Managed Exit, Not Reform: Roche’s claim that the process restores confidence rings hollow — the public sees privilege protected, not justice served.
- 🧱 Integrity at Stake: Dr Bryce Edwards argues only a full investigation and genuine reform can rebuild trust — otherwise New Zealand risks entrenching corruption behind polite denials.
