Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming has resigned
Jevon McSkimming
Photo:
RNZ / REECE BAKER
Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming has resigned, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says.
McSkimming resigned on Monday with immediate effect before he could be dismissed, Mitchell said.
McSkimming has been on
leave for four months
after he was suspended pending a criminal investigation.
He was
under investigation
by the Independent Police Conduct Authority and the New Zealand Police.
The nature of the allegations against him cannot be reported.
"I can confirm a process had been underway for the Prime Minister to consider recommending the Governor-General immediately remove the Deputy Commissioner of Police from office," Mitchell said.
"I instructed the Public Service Commission to commence the process to remove Mr McSkimming from office after allegations of a very serious nature recently came to light, separate to the investigation that led to him being suspended.
"The Policing Act is very clear: A Deputy Commissioner of Police must be a 'fit and proper' person. They are rightly held to the highest standards of conduct and this new information called into serious question Mr McSkimming's fitness for office."
McSkimming resigned when he was invited to respond to the allegations, Mitchell said.
"Mr McSkimming's resignation has confirmed my view that his continuation in the role was untenable."
The police investigations into McSkimming will continue, he said.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers confirms he has been advised of Jevon McSkimming's resignation from his position with NZ Police.
"The criminal investigation will continue and is not affected by the resignation. I have no further comment at this stage."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
4 hours ago
- RNZ News
Tribunal asked to halt seabed mine fast-track
Rachel Arnott with kaumatua Ngāpari Nui at the New Plymouth District Council committee. Photo: Te Korimako o Taranaki South Taranaki hapū want the Waitangi Tribunal to halt a fast-track bid to mine the seabed off Pātea. Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) has applied under the new Fast-track Approvals Act to mine in the South Taranaki Bight for 20 years. The mining and processing ship would churn through 50 million tonnes of the seabed annually, discharging most of it back into the ocean in shallow water just outside the 12-nautical-mile territorial limit. Hapū and iwi are seeking a tribunal injunction to block processing of TTR's fast-track application. The claimants want an urgent hearing into alleged Crown breaches and are seeking to summon Crown officials they say are responsible. They say the Crown failed to consult tangata whenua, breaching Te Tiriti o Waitangi and ignored a Supreme Court ruling against the seabed mine. To get an urgent Waitangi Tribunal hearing, applicants must be suffering or likely to suffer significant and irreversible prejudice, as a result of current or pending Crown actions. Lead claimant Puawai Hudson of Ngāruahine hapū Ngāti Tū said their moana was rich in taonga species. "If seabed mining goes ahead, we lose more than biodiversity - we lose the mauri that binds us as Taranaki Mā Tongatonga [people of south Taranaki]," Hudson said. The area was also subject to applications under the Marine and Coastal Area Act - the law that replaced the Foreshore and Seabed Act. "This is not consultation - this is colonisation through fast-track." The applicants' legal team, who're also of Ngāruahine, say the Wai 3475 claim breaks new ground. Legal tautoko Alison Anitawaru Cole and Te Wehi Wright said the Court of Appeal proved the tribunal's powers to require Crown action in urgent and prejudicial cases, when it summonsed Children's Minister Karen Chhour. They argue the tribunal should be able to halt other urgent and prejudicial Crown actions - such as processing TTR's application under the Fast-track Approval Act (FAA). The Taranaki claimants are: Groups outside Taranaki facing FAA applications have also joined, including Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Porou ki Hauraki. As opponents press their claim, TTR is due to argue its case this week at New Plymouth District Council (NPDC). Trans-Taman said opposition to seabed mining lacked scientific credibility and the waste sediment it discharges would be insignificant, given the load already carried by the turbid Tasman Sea. TTR managing director Alan Eggers is expected to lay out his wares to councillors at a public workshop on Wednesday morning. The company promises an economic boost in Taranaki and Whanganui, creating more than 1350 New Zealand jobs and becoming one of the country's top exporters. The only known local shareholder - millionaire Phillip Brown - last week was reported to lodge a complaint to NPDC, alleging bias by its iwi committee, Te Huinga Taumatua. The Taranaki Daily News reported Brown thought tribal representatives and councillors on the committee talked for too long during a deputation opposed to TTR's mining bid. After the hour-and-a-quarter discussion, Te Huinga Taumatua co-chair Gordon Brown noted it was a record extension of the officially allotted 15 minutes. The committee, including Mayor Neil Holdom, voted that the full council should consider declaring opposition to TTR's mine, when it meets on 24 June. Brown reportedly believed the meeting was procedurally flawed and predetermined. Iwi liaison committees in north and south Taranaki typically relax debate rules to allow fuller kōrero. Taranaki Regional Council's powerful policy and planning committee recently reached a rare accord on dealing with freshwater pollution, when its new chair - Māori constituency councillor Bonita Bigham - suspended standing orders in favour of flowing discussion. Ngāti Ruanui has stood against Trans-Tasman for more than a decade, including defeating their application in the Supreme Court. Rūnanga kaiwhakahaere Rachel Arnott said the Crown should know mana whenua would never give up. "We are still here, because our ancestors never gave up fighting for what is right. "Tangaroa is not yours to sell - we will never leave, we will be here way beyond TTR, they have no future here." LDR is local body reporting co-funded by RNZ and NZ on Air
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- RNZ News
Government considers Crown contributions to partnership projects
PPPs were considered for court construction, but not included in Budget 2025. Photo: RNZ / Anneke Smith Government agencies are looking into how the Crown could put capital directly into Public Private Partnership projects. This is among moves to get try to get more partnerships underway to build a wider range of public infrastructure, from courts to health facilities. Minutes from the NZ Transport Agency show it has explored direct Crown contributions to PPPs for several months. Treasury said these were used in other countries to improve value for money or project outcomes. Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop said PPP guidelines due out later this year would show how to consider Crown contributions. "The inclusion of a Crown capital contribution will be considered on a project-by-project basis throughout the business case and procurement processes," Bishop said. Officials did not believe legislative or regulatory change would be required to implement contributions. A blueprint to change PPPs was put out late last year, as the Government sought to get the private sector, including international companies, enthused about investing. "The blueprint signalled that their use would be carefully considered on a project-by-project basis," Treasury said of the contributions. At the Government's infrastructure investment summit in March, PPPs were raised as an option in health. PPPs to build three new courts in Waitākere and Rotorua, and a Māori Land Court in Rotorua were initially considered by justice officials, but the courthouse builds did not receive funding in Budget 2025. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
6 hours ago
- RNZ News
Grieving mother calls for Wellington's historic crane's removal after son's death
By Catherine Hutton, Open Justice reporter of Jarreth Colquhoun (inset) died after jumping from the floating crane SS Hikitia on the Wellington waterfront in January 2024. Photo: Mark Mitchell / NZME Grieving mum Sue Colquhoun fears it's only a matter of time until someone else jumps off the historic crane, the SS Hikitia, moored on Wellington's waterfront. Last January, her son Jarreth climbed to the top, waved to a crowd below and jumped feet first into the harbour - the equivalent of falling 12 storeys. It's estimated he was travelling at 98km/h when he hit the water. A coroner has ruled this week that the height of the crane and the speed with which he fell , combined with the effects of acute methamphetamine use and cold water immersion, meant Colquhoun's fall was fatal. She's now made some recommendations in the hope of preventing similar tragedies. But his mum says you can't, and won't, stop young men from doing foolish things, particularly those like Jarreth who viewed the Hikitia as a challenge. Her son had exhibited risky behaviour for years. He was either extremely withdrawn or super hyped up. Twice she'd tried to get a mental health assessment, without success. But she says to people like her son, the Hikitia was a visible challenge and a temptation, that others are going to try. That's why she wants the crane completely removed from the waterfront. She's vowed to keep fighting, saying it's irrelevant if the next fatality is one year or 10 years away: "I was still the one before them who could have made a difference," she said. The 33-year-old's death coincided with the Manu World Champs at the nearby Taranaki St Dive Platform. Sue's in no doubt that her son was spurred on by the competition and a desire to prove he could jump further. She can visualise him on the crane, drawn to the water and waving to the crowds below. But she's disappointed by the coroner's report and feels more could be done between the Maritime Heritage Trust, as the crane's owners, and the Wellington City Council (WCC), which owns the wharves. She says moving the crane further over the boat to deter others from jumping and the extra security measures proposed in the coroner's report aren't enough. Instead, she wants the crane moved away from the wharf, the waterfront, and anywhere there's foot traffic. "They can sink it, for all I care," she said. The only tiny piece of satisfaction she took from the coroner's finding was the council's commitment to include the Hikitia in its safety plan for the next event. But even that wouldn't be necessary if the Hikitia were moved from its current spot, she said. Invited for a tour aboard the Hikitia following Jarreth's death, she said it did little to sway her views. While aboard, she saw the effort volunteers put in to restoring the vessel but to her, she felt there appeared to be little effort being put in to making it safer. The Hikitia floating crane in Wellington. Photo: RNZ / Michael Cropp Any discussions she'd had with the crane's trustees had come from the angle of "we're preserving a piece of history", she said. "That's the least thing on my mind, you've got that history in your books. My history now is death notices and a headstone, that's my history with that boat now, and I don't want to see it." Instead, she wants discussion about why more isn't being done to move the vessel from its current location. She'd also like to hear from other families who've been involved in previous jumping incidents from the crane, including from the family of Jamie Gibbon who died in 2015 and is mentioned in the recent coroner's report. Sue wants people to know that Jarreth was a kind, loyal and loving person to everyone. The last six months of his life, during which he was gripped by methamphetamine addiction, did not accurately reflect the good man and kind father that he was, she said. The trust has expressed its condolences to Jarreth's family for their terrible loss and says his death had a significant impact on their volunteers. In a statement, its chairman Peter McKnight says there are ongoing discussions between the trust and WCC to ensure the Hikitia can remain safely at her existing berth, particularly during waterfront events. The decision to post security guards on the Hikitia during this year's Homegrown music festival was an example of the trust's engagement with the council around event planning and management. While it's always looking to improve safety, it doubted moving the vessel to another berth would change matters. It refers to the coroner's report, which noted that tower cranes are often the target of illegal climbing activities. Wellington's harbourmaster Grant Nalder estimates the Hikitia has been berthed in its present spot since the 1990s. He says any decisions about moving the Hikitia are between the trust and the WCC, but warns it's not as simple as saying, "we'll move it somewhere else". "There is no mythical somewhere else." Also, he points out the vessel is no longer self-propelled, something the volunteers are working to fix, so it can once again operate under its own steam. The trust says given the vessel's significant historical value to global maritime history and engineering, improving public education and outreach about the Hikitia also plays an important part in how the public engages with the vessel. With its centenary celebrations next year, the trust hopes to continue to inspire New Zealand's future sailors, engineers, historians, crane operators, and artists through updated and improved outreach programmes on the Hikitia at Taranaki Wharf. * This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
