Louise Nicholas and two women at the centre of the report into the appointment of Deputy Commissioner of Police Wally Haumaha have spoken to Newshub about their concerns about his appointment.
Newshub can reveal two of the women who made complaints during the Wally Haumaha investigation are disappointed and saddened by the findings of the report into Mr Haumaha's appointment.
High-profile campaigner against violence toward women Louise Nicholas says DC Haumaha should not have been given the job of Deputy Commissioner of Police.
- Inquiry clears Wally Haumaha's appointment process
- Two women make formal complaints about Wally Haumaha
The report released on Monday found the appointment process for DC Haumaha was sound. The inquiry into his appointment had been triggered when Ms Nicholas raised concerns about comments he'd made to Operation Austen.
Ms Nicholas still has concerns about DC Haumaha, telling Newshub he is "not a people person".
"I had a number of people come to me and say that they have concerns around Wally Haumaha being in this position, but they wouldn't have an opportunity to disclose that to the inquiry," said Ms Nicholas.
"I have always had grave reservations about him being in a top position like that."
Two women who have placed complaints about DC Haumaha's behaviour with the Independent Police Conduct Authority say their complaints about bullying have been minimised.
The report found no formal complaint about bullying had been placed with police.
The women told Newshub that's "semantics".
"In 2016 we struggled to get our complaints about Deputy Commissioner Haumaha's behaviour taken seriously. We came up against impenetrable systemic barriers.
"We want to be clear: we complained," the women wrote in a statement to Newshub.
They said they followed their workplaces' processes and management took their concerns to police.
"We were never given the opportunity by the Police to formalise our complaints at that time. The outcome of these complaints is that our concerns were minimised and the incidents in question were never investigated."
On Monday Police Minister Stuart Nash and State Services Minister Chris Hipkins said they have confidence in the process behind DC Haumaha's appointment.
"I have full absolute confidence in the Commissioner of Police. I'm not going to comment on the 14 or so members of his executive team," said Stuart Nash.
Education Minister Chris Hipkins added that "the issue of confidence in any statutory appointment that I'm not responsible for is not a matter for me."
Mr Haumaha says he's gained personal insight from the process and is looking forward to getting on with his job.
"I do have confidence in Wally Haumaha," Mike Bush said.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority is still investigating claims of bullying.
Newshub.
