Maori Party Pleased the Taser Guns are Being Withdrawn

The Maori Party has today expressed relief at today's announcement that the lethal taser stun guns are being withdrawn at midnight tonight.

“This is the right answer for New Zealand” said Dr Pita Sharples, Justice Spokesperson for the Maori Party.

“We have always maintained that the case for taser use was unfounded” said Dr Sharples. “The trial should never have happened – given that assaults on police officers have been decreasing, and the NZ Police had failed to consider other options, such as non-weapon solutions first”.

“The Government needs to be accountable for policing policy – and as such, I have written to the Minister of Police, asking her to take a direct interest in following up the outcomes of the trial” said Dr Sharples.

“We suggested to the Minister that the results of the taser gun trial must be made public, and presented alongside international comparative data, prior to any decisions being made about the future use of taser guns in Aotearoa” said Dr Sharples.

“Our greatest concern has been with the safety issues around the use of this weapon, for groups who are at particular risk” said Dr Sharples. “We believed the public should have a say, to ensure there was public discussion and debate about the use of a weapon for which there is such controversy attached” said Dr Sharples.

Maori and Pasifika people have been over-represented as subjects of taser gun use: out of 114 persons, 33 were Maori (29%); 31 Pasifika (27%). Taken together, this is 56% of taser subjects.

“The concerns of the Maori Party that formed the basis of our discrimination complaint to the Human Rights Commission are confirmed by this data” said Dr Sharples. “We have raised the challenge right through this trial, of the need for comprehensive consultation with Maori and Pasifika groups, as well as medical and mental health organisations; and human rights groups”.

Background

On 20 August 2006 the Maori Party registered a Notice of Complaint with the Human Rights Commission against the Police’s trial of taser guns. The Notice of Complaint, which has formed the subject of mediation discussions between the New Zealand Police and the Maori Party, identified:

that there will be unlawful discrimination in the use of taser guns by Police during the trial, under the Human Rights Act 1993;
that there has been a breach of human rights through the introduction of the taser gun trial by the New Zealand government, under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.