“By me accepting this bicycle [it] would help him clear some space. I accepted the bicycle with my supervisor and senior sergeant present.”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon gave a child’s bicycle to a police officer to pass on to the cop’s daughter for Christmas. File photo / Mark Mitchell
A sergeant also followed up on the gifting in an email, checking whether it was okay for the staff member to keep the bike.
“The PM wanted to clear out some space in his garage, the bike was surplus to requirement,” the sergeant wrote.
“In fact, his daughter, when younger, never really used it and … the PM would not take no for an answer when he wheeled the bike over to him.”
The bike, a female cruiser with a basket, was at least 10 years old but in good condition and worth about $150.
Police approved the gift, making it one of 148 accepted by officers for that year.
There were 22 gifts ultimately declined and 36 regifted or donated to charities and other groups.
One gift accepted and later destroyed was $1000 of alcohol from members of the Chinese Embassy during a debrief with the Major Operations Group in July last year.
Members of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China gifted two bottles of Yanghe Meng Zhi Lan Dream Blue M9, a spirit called baijiu. The bottles are worth $500 each.
Police should not accept alcohol as a gift, policy states. Photo / 123rf
“It was declined by NZP, however Chinese Embassy staff persisted,” the gift form noted.
Police do not generally accept alcohol as gifts, but may accept it and destroy it later when it is not possible or appropriate to return or donate it.
“Gifts from other countries may be accepted so as not to cause offence, particularly when the exchange of gifts is customary,” a police spokeswoman told the Herald.
Among other alcoholic gifts donated was a bottle of whisky from a “sheepish” member of the public.
Wānaka police had been notified in September last year of an overdue flight, and an officer was able to track down the pilot with a phone call.
“The passenger in the aircraft who was supposed to call the flight follower was sheepish and came into the Wānaka police station a few days later with a bottle of whisky,” the gift form said.
“I explained that it was unnecessary and certainly not what police expect. I advised the gifter that I would donate the gift to Wanaka SAR [Search and Rescue] volunteers who do a great job for the community. Things like this are awkward as giving it back is disrespectful.”
The officer’s plan to regift the liquor was rejected though.
“I can’t support the regifting of alcohol,” wrote the staff member who declined the request. “While awkward, the action at the time would be to walk the person across to the SAR building given it is so close and call LandSAR in to receive it. Police can’t be seen to hand this now on to anyone.”
The whisky was subsequently destroyed.
In April this year Israeli police gave a portable fruit juicer to the International Services Group as a “visit gift”.
The juicer was later given a home in a shared kitchenette at the Police National Headquarters in Wellington.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers was gifted a teddy bear from Hong Kong police. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers was also given a teddy bear by Hong Kong police during a policing conference in Dubai, which was “retained as heritage of office”.
Some rejected gifts include tickets to an All Blacks game, an unexpected $5000 given to an officer by a retired colleague, a gift card for an officer who helped euthanise and rescue stock from a truck crash, and two luxury pens and a wallet from the United Arab Emirates State Security Department.
Wellington police also returned a box full of hair scrunchies given by a donor as a token of appreciation for “all the hard work the female police staff do for their community”.
Other bottles of alcohol and gift vouchers were also destroyed, returned or donated.
Details of gifts are collated in the register, which is regularly audited by the Police National Headquarters Assurance Group.
Some gifts can be donated to another organisation, if appropriate and the details are collated in the central Gifts and Hospitality Register, which is audited on a regular basis by Police National Headquarters’ Assurance Group.
Police policy dictates small trinket-type presents worth less than $50 can be accepted as long as they are given infrequently. Money or vouchers should be declined where possible, as should alcohol.
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 12 years.