Your Daily Ten@10 - 2025/225

This is edition 2025/225 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!

• 🎙️ Coster Interview Reignites Scandal – Andrew Coster’s appearance on Q+A has reopened the police integrity scandal, revealing conflicting accounts and raising questions the existing investigation failed to answer.
• 🕵️‍♂️ Calls for Independent Inquiry – Experts argue only a new, fully empowered inquiry can restore public trust in the Police and determine who is telling the truth.
• 🧩 Conflicting Stories – Coster claims he briefed both Chris Hipkins and Mark Mitchell early on, but both deny or can’t recall such briefings, leading to a credibility crisis among all three.
• ⚖️ Motives and Self-Interest – Coster, Hipkins, and Mitchell each have strong personal incentives to protect themselves, fuelling public skepticism about their accounts.
• 📄 IPCA’s Limited Scope – The IPCA report narrowly examined police handling of complaints against Jevon McSkimming and never investigated alleged cover-ups or political interference.
• ✉️ The Email Diversion Mystery – A handwritten note shows someone ordered complaint emails diverted from the Police Minister’s office—Mitchell blames Coster’s office; Coster denies involvement.
• 🧱 Democratic Oversight Undermined – If police officials filtered what ministers could see, it strikes at the core of democratic accountability.
• 🧮 Historical Parallels – The case echoes the early-2000s Louise Nicholas scandal, suggesting old cultural problems inside the police may persist.
• 📰 Journalists Demand Answers – Jared Savage and others argue the case reveals systemic resistance to transparency, with complainant Ms Z treated poorly and prosecuted instead of protected.
• ❓ Unanswered Questions – Who authorised the email protocol? Who knew what, and when? Was the IPCA influenced? These gaps leave public confidence shaken.
• 💬 Corruption Debate – While officials avoid using the term, many New Zealanders see the behaviour—rule-bending and protecting insiders—as precisely that.
• 🧨 Systemic vs. Individual Failure – It’s unclear whether Coster acted alone or if the issue reflects a broader institutional pattern of concealing misconduct.
• 🚔 Career Fallout – Coster’s public service career is over; several senior officers face investigations, but systemic accountability remains elusive.
• 🏛️ Luxon Rejects Inquiry – The Prime Minister has ruled out an independent inquiry, claiming the IPCA report already provided answers, though critics say this is unconvincing.
• 🗞️ Media Pushback – NZ Herald argues major questions remain, noting Coster’s reputation for honesty and inconsistencies in all political accounts.
• 🧠 Tova O’Brien’s Critique – O’Brien ridicules Luxon’s claim to “know the outcome” of a potential inquiry, saying his logic undermines credibility and transparency.
• 🔍 Need for Transparency – Commentators agree: without a full, independent inquiry into ministerial and police actions, public faith in the police cannot be restored.