Pāpango
@papango.bsky.social
If I wasn't having fun, this would be intolerable.
I can 100% see how people in the Min's office were reassured knowing that Police were getting these and dealing with it. That's what makes it so terrible, apart from everything else about it, that Police were able to reassure people who might have been concerned.
November 13, 2025 at 5:03 AM
I can 100% see how people in the Min's office were reassured knowing that Police were getting these and dealing with it. That's what makes it so terrible, apart from everything else about it, that Police were able to reassure people who might have been concerned.
In places ive worked, they mostly just get filed. If there's a threat to the Minister or staff it might get passed to Parliamentary Security, but if its about someone else, it would likely go to Police. I've had to call the Police in a couple of times for threats or stuff I thought was concerning.
November 13, 2025 at 5:00 AM
In places ive worked, they mostly just get filed. If there's a threat to the Minister or staff it might get passed to Parliamentary Security, but if its about someone else, it would likely go to Police. I've had to call the Police in a couple of times for threats or stuff I thought was concerning.
The stuff you're looking for goes under the name "machinery of government" and there's lots of courses and resources about it.
November 13, 2025 at 3:44 AM
The stuff you're looking for goes under the name "machinery of government" and there's lots of courses and resources about it.
He is right, though, that no matter how each office is set up, the PS would never be the only person with access to the inbox. This instruction put the Police PS in a real situation and they're not usually senior staff. I hope someone has checked in on them and this doesn't fuck up their career.
November 13, 2025 at 3:42 AM
He is right, though, that no matter how each office is set up, the PS would never be the only person with access to the inbox. This instruction put the Police PS in a real situation and they're not usually senior staff. I hope someone has checked in on them and this doesn't fuck up their career.
This is nice for me. I run little workshops on how my team (which had PS and OIA people in it) works with the Mins office and what we need to make it all work and people only come because their managers make them.
November 13, 2025 at 3:38 AM
This is nice for me. I run little workshops on how my team (which had PS and OIA people in it) works with the Mins office and what we need to make it all work and people only come because their managers make them.
I can't speak for the offices Clints been in, but when I was a PS I definitely had access to the inbox. Monitoring the inbox and processing correspondence was most of the job.
November 13, 2025 at 3:34 AM
I can't speak for the offices Clints been in, but when I was a PS I definitely had access to the inbox. Monitoring the inbox and processing correspondence was most of the job.
Lots of people contact the PM because they don't know who else to contact. If something needs to happen, a Minister with the relevant portfolio is usually the best person to move it along.
November 13, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Lots of people contact the PM because they don't know who else to contact. If something needs to happen, a Minister with the relevant portfolio is usually the best person to move it along.
Probably. The PM's office gets thousands of emails and the usual thing is to forward them on the Minister responsible. They don't usually do much follow up as the relevant Minister's office will deal with it. And they do. If they asked anything the PS likely told them 'police are dealing with it'.
November 13, 2025 at 2:59 AM
Probably. The PM's office gets thousands of emails and the usual thing is to forward them on the Minister responsible. They don't usually do much follow up as the relevant Minister's office will deal with it. And they do. If they asked anything the PS likely told them 'police are dealing with it'.
It's a cat with a machete.
November 12, 2025 at 7:05 PM
It's a cat with a machete.
My guess is that it originated with Coster, since the emails were being redirected to his office, but you're right it could have gone unchallenged through a few people before it got to the PS. Those instructions would be worth requesting, too.
November 12, 2025 at 5:59 AM
My guess is that it originated with Coster, since the emails were being redirected to his office, but you're right it could have gone unchallenged through a few people before it got to the PS. Those instructions would be worth requesting, too.
No. But I also dont think Health bosses instructed their PS to deliberately hide correspondence from members of the public from Ministers and other office staff. And that's what puts this on another level.
November 12, 2025 at 5:30 AM
No. But I also dont think Health bosses instructed their PS to deliberately hide correspondence from members of the public from Ministers and other office staff. And that's what puts this on another level.
That was info they had that they didn't send over. Its bad, but to interfere with someone outside, a constituent, a regular citizen, contacting a Minister directly is a whole other thing.
November 12, 2025 at 5:23 AM
That was info they had that they didn't send over. Its bad, but to interfere with someone outside, a constituent, a regular citizen, contacting a Minister directly is a whole other thing.
Yes! You can send a request to the Ministers office through FYI, or email directly. You can ask for the communication from Police to the office, and the communication to the Minister about it. It doesn't even have to be written information, recollections are covered by the Act.
November 12, 2025 at 5:12 AM
Yes! You can send a request to the Ministers office through FYI, or email directly. You can ask for the communication from Police to the office, and the communication to the Minister about it. It doesn't even have to be written information, recollections are covered by the Act.
Yeah. I have worked at Police, as well as at a lot of other departments in Ministerial Services (doing OIAs, PQs, etc and correspondence) and Police is really the only place I can imagine this happening. It takes a certain level of entitlement to pull this shit.
November 12, 2025 at 4:56 AM
Yeah. I have worked at Police, as well as at a lot of other departments in Ministerial Services (doing OIAs, PQs, etc and correspondence) and Police is really the only place I can imagine this happening. It takes a certain level of entitlement to pull this shit.
No. I think Coster instructed Police staff working in the Mins office to deliberately hide something from the Minister. Mitchell been defending a department that was hiding info from him. He looks a fool and Ministers hate that.
November 12, 2025 at 4:52 AM
No. I think Coster instructed Police staff working in the Mins office to deliberately hide something from the Minister. Mitchell been defending a department that was hiding info from him. He looks a fool and Ministers hate that.
That's what it looks like. This to me feels like your bosses boss calling you up and instructing you to start shredding documents. Just the dodgiest shit imaginable, that's not actually illegal.
November 12, 2025 at 4:48 AM
That's what it looks like. This to me feels like your bosses boss calling you up and instructing you to start shredding documents. Just the dodgiest shit imaginable, that's not actually illegal.
It is completely out of the ordinary. This isn't supposed to happen. It's totally bizarre.
November 12, 2025 at 4:39 AM
It is completely out of the ordinary. This isn't supposed to happen. It's totally bizarre.
No. They work for the department so if they're protecting anyone, its usually the department. Ministers have political staff for that. Coster had to tell them to do this, because this isn't part of the job.
November 12, 2025 at 4:37 AM
No. They work for the department so if they're protecting anyone, its usually the department. Ministers have political staff for that. Coster had to tell them to do this, because this isn't part of the job.
It would be easy enough to flag these as 'do not respond' and the Minister would never know. Other people in the office would trust the PS, especially if they said they were talking to Police about it.
November 12, 2025 at 4:34 AM
It would be easy enough to flag these as 'do not respond' and the Minister would never know. Other people in the office would trust the PS, especially if they said they were talking to Police about it.
I hate Mark Mitchell. And I'd like this to be on him, and it should be because the Minister of Police can't be involved in police operations, so the culture and integrity is where they have most impact. But Ministers get a lot of emails and a lot is rants, threats, etc, that just gets filed.
November 12, 2025 at 4:33 AM
I hate Mark Mitchell. And I'd like this to be on him, and it should be because the Minister of Police can't be involved in police operations, so the culture and integrity is where they have most impact. But Ministers get a lot of emails and a lot is rants, threats, etc, that just gets filed.
No. They're Police staff. They still work for the department. They are working in the Mins office, but they remain NZ Police staff. And not very senior staff, either. The Comissioner instructed a member of his own staff to interfere with correspondence to the Minister.
November 12, 2025 at 4:22 AM
No. They're Police staff. They still work for the department. They are working in the Mins office, but they remain NZ Police staff. And not very senior staff, either. The Comissioner instructed a member of his own staff to interfere with correspondence to the Minister.
And that's egregious too. I've been a PS and hiding correspondence from the other people in the office would be stressful and require a bit of finangling with the email system. Min correspondence is supposed to be kept.
November 12, 2025 at 4:18 AM
And that's egregious too. I've been a PS and hiding correspondence from the other people in the office would be stressful and require a bit of finangling with the email system. Min correspondence is supposed to be kept.
Its a Police person in Mitchell's office. And part of that job is monitoring the inbox. I suspect they removed the emails before anybody else could see them. You're right, though, others can see that inbox so part of it would be hiding it from the other staff.
November 12, 2025 at 4:16 AM
Its a Police person in Mitchell's office. And part of that job is monitoring the inbox. I suspect they removed the emails before anybody else could see them. You're right, though, others can see that inbox so part of it would be hiding it from the other staff.
Ministers get thousands of emails. They usually dont read them themselves until a response is drafted for their review.
November 12, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Ministers get thousands of emails. They usually dont read them themselves until a response is drafted for their review.
All Minister's have Private Secretaries who are seconded from the department they are responsible for. They work as liaisons between the office and the department. They monitor the public inbox, deal with correspondence, do admin around briefings, advice and meetings.
November 12, 2025 at 4:12 AM
All Minister's have Private Secretaries who are seconded from the department they are responsible for. They work as liaisons between the office and the department. They monitor the public inbox, deal with correspondence, do admin around briefings, advice and meetings.