It was a boast that cost Stuart Nash his job.
When he was still Police Minister on Wednesday morning, during an interview, Stuart Nash’s braggadocio was on full display.
"I've seen a couple of judgements and actually one, I phoned up the Police Commissioner who said, ‘surely you're going to appeal this'," Nash told Newstalk ZB.
And despite the clear breach of police independence, Nash doubled down when questioned by reporters shortly after.
"I wasn't Minister of Police, I was chewing the fat with a guy who was a mate, about a decision that I thought was very bad," Nash said.
The phone call took place in 2021 when Nash was not the Police Minister.
However, the Prime Minister helped clear things up.
"I think it demonstrated a serious error of judgement and that is why I've accepted his resignation," Hipkins told Newshub.
"Had he not offered his resignation, then I would have removed him from the role."
Speaking with Tova O'Brien on Thursday morning, Police Association President Chris Cahill gave his opinion on the recent events, agreeing with Chris Hipkins that, unfortunately, Nash had to go.
"It's really important and this is a reminder to everyone, there's got to be that independence between the three legs of the state: The parliament, the police and the judiciary," Cahill said.
"That has been getting muddled as policing has become a political issue… So it's certainly a good wake-up call for everyone involved."
Cahill said we can't have politicians deciding how the laws are going to be administered, telling O'Brien that letting them pick how police should or shouldn't prosecute is "just unsafe".
"There was a Mood of the Nation report out about two or three weeks ago, and that showed crime, law and order was the second most concerning issue for New Zealanders, equal with housing," Cahill said.
"The government is getting hit with the complaints about it - but it's important that separation remains.
"Politicians can't tell police how to operate and what the operational functions of police are… [it] needs to be kept separate.
"They [Politicians] are the master but they don't control them [police]."
Listen to the full interview between Chris Cahill and Tova above.
You can also download the full interview on the Tova podcast, and listen on the go.
