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“Andrew Coster, Institutional Rot, and the Social Investment Mirage” - 11 November 2025

When the Guardians Corrupt Themselves

Ivor Jones The Māori Green Ltn

11 Nov 2025 — 20 min read

Cui Bono: Who Benefits When Police Protect Their Own?

On November 11, 2025, the mask slipped. Former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster—now Secretary for Social Investment and Chief Executive of the Social Investment Agency—was placed on leave following a damning Independent Police Conduct Authority report that found “serious misconduct at the highest levels of police” in the handling of sexual misconduct complaints against former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming(12)(13).

The hidden connections reveal a system designed to protect power, not people. Cui bono? Malo? The institutional elite benefit. Māori whānau, victims of sexual violence, and vulnerable communities—already over-represented in the criminal justice system—bear the harm.

This essay traces the networks of institutional failure, the protection racket at the apex of New Zealand policing, and the neoliberal mirage that has elevated a failed leader into a position to determine the fate of our most vulnerable.

Background: A Timeline of Institutional Betrayal

The affair between McSkimming (then 42) and a non-sworn police employee (then 21) began in 2016 and ended in late 2017(12). In 2018, an anonymous Facebook post warned women to be

“careful of Jevon McSkimming,” alleging he “preyed on a young female” and “threatened to post images of her online to keep her from exposing the truth about him”(12).

Neither police nor the IPCA identified this as a potential complaint

—neither had systems in place to detect it(12).

Fast forward to 2023. During McSkimming’s appointment process for statutory Deputy Commissioner, neither McSkimming nor Coster adequately disclosed the sexual relationship or the allegations to the Public Service Commission(12)(15). Chris Hipkins, as Prime Minister, appointed McSkimming on April 17, 2023, based on recommendations from Coster and the Public Service Commission—none of this was disclosed(92)(94).

In February 2024, a joint Police/Health Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (FTAC) report recommended referring emails from the complainant—alleging sexual assault, threats, and misuse of police resources—to the National Integrity Unit and the IPCA. This recommendation was ignored. Instead, police launched an investigation into the complainant under the Harmful Digital Communications Act, charging her in May 2024(12)(14).

When police finally referred the matter to the IPCA in October 2024—several months after it was recommended—senior officers attempted to influence the investigation, perceived by others as an effort

“to bring the investigation to a rapid and premature conclusion so as not to intersect with the Commissioner appointment process and jeopardise Mr McSkimming’s prospects of being appointed as the next Commissioner of Police”(12)(13).

The IPCA found

“serious misconduct by a significant number of very senior officers” including the then Commissioner (Coster), a Deputy Commissioner, two Assistant Commissioners, and a Detective Superintendent(12)(93).

Deconstructing the Protection Racket via Mātauranga Māori

Through the lens of tikanga, this case exposes violations across six core principles of mātauranga Māori:

1. Whanaungatanga (collective relationships): The institutional whānau of police leadership closed ranks to protect one of their own, abandoning the complainant—a young woman 20 years McSkimming’s junior—to isolation and prosecution(12).

2. Manaakitanga (care, hospitality): Police failed to care for a victim. Instead, they prosecuted her, causing “severe embarrassment” and harm to her reputation(12).

3. Kaitiakitanga (guardianship): Those entrusted to guard institutional integrity betrayed that trust, bypassing “usual integrity checks and balances”(93).

4. Wairuatanga (spiritual connection, mauri): The mauri of policing—its life-force of trust and legitimacy—was depleted. Police Commissioner Richard Chambers admitted the findings showed a “total lack of leadership and integrity”(93).

5. Rangatiratanga (self-determination, sovereignty): The complainant was denied agency. Her voice was silenced, her complaints ignored, her allegations weaponized against her(12).

6. Aroha (love, compassion): Where was aroha for the victim? The institutional response was prosecution, not protection.

Analysis: Five Hidden Revelations

Hidden Revelation 1: The Vetting Charade

Chris Hipkins appointed McSkimming in April 2023 following a “vetting process”(92). Yet none of the allegations were disclosed. Hipkins later admitted: “I can say absolutely that with the advice that we were given in Jevon McSkimming’s appointment to the Deputy Police Commissioner role, none of this was identified during that process, and there was a vetting process that was undertaken there. The fact that there was vetting and it didn’t highlight this shows that the vetting was clearly inadequate”(92)(94).

Cui bono? Coster and McSkimming. By withholding information, they ensured McSkimming’s elevation—and protected Coster’s legacy. The Public Service Commission’s 2025 review found its appointment processes were “overall...sound” but recommended improvements, including “guidance on how to probe personal and sensitive matters”(14). Translation: they didn’t probe.

Hidden Revelation 2: The Prosecution Weaponization

The complainant sent over 300 emails to McSkimming’s work address between December 2023 and April 2024, some copied to Coster, Deputy Commissioner Tania Kura, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, and Police Minister Mark Mitchell(12). The emails included allegations of sexual assault, threats using intimate images, and misuse of police credit cards and property(12).

Police charged her under the Harmful Digital Communications Act in May 2024—not him. The IPCA found police “failed to act on the allegations the woman made, and instead focused only on her actions”(12)(17). The charge was withdrawn in September 2024 because McSkimming “did not wish to give evidence”(12).

Cui malo? The complainant. She was prosecuted to silence her, to discredit her, to protect institutional reputation.

Hidden Revelation 3: The Influence Campaign

In October 2024, when police finally notified the IPCA, senior officers attempted to influence the investigation(12)(13). Public Service Minister Judith Collins stated: “the findings that leadership attempted to influence the investigation into the woman’s complaint and persuade the IPCA that the matter could be resolved quickly were ‘very serious.’ Let’s put it this way. If a minister tried to do that, I’m sure that the Prime Minister would have them out the door that way”(3).

Cui bono? McSkimming’s career prospects. The timing was not coincidental: the Commissioner appointment process was underway. McSkimming ultimately lost to Richard Chambers in October 2024(109).

Hidden Revelation 4: The Neoliberal Reward

Despite this catastrophic failure of leadership, Andrew Coster was appointed Secretary for Social Investment in September 2024, beginning his role November 11, 2024(62)(64). Acting Public Service Commissioner Heather Baggott praised Coster as “a highly respected and impressive public service leader”(62)(66).

The Social Investment Agency manages a $190 million Social Investment Fund designed to commission services for “vulnerable New Zealanders”(65)(75). Coster now oversees spending targeting children whose parents have been in prison, children who experienced the care system, and children suspended from school(79).

Cui bono? The neoliberal project. Social investment represents a market-based approach to welfare: funding flows to NGOs and private providers based on measurable “outcomes,” not need(53)(77). As critics note, this “neoliberal” model shifts responsibility from the state to individuals and communities, “privatizing” social care while maintaining the illusion of state oversight(53)(195).

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has stated the fund could “attract investment from private and philanthropic organisations”(85). Translation: privatisation by stealth.

Hidden Revelation 5: The Systemic Māori Harm

Māori are 43% of all police apprehensions despite being just 13% of the population(135). Māori women are 60% of the female prison population(117). Research confirms racial profiling and bias operate at every level of the criminal justice system(160)(162).

A 2024 police investigation into “equity and fairness” found that “bias” and “structural racism” within police partly explain why Māori men are more likely to be stopped, prosecuted, and tasered(160). Police Minister Mark Mitchell rejected the finding of bias(160).

Under Coster’s leadership (2020-2024), police failed a young woman who accused a Deputy Commissioner of sexual violence. They prosecuted her. They protected him. If this is how police treat a Pākehā woman with institutional proximity, how do they treat Māori whānau with none?

Implications: Quantified Harm and Threatened Mana

Individual Harm

The complainant was charged, publicly shamed, and denied justice for years(12). Current Police Commissioner Richard Chambers apologised: “I am apologising to the woman at the centre of this for the repeated early failures in following the proper processes for investigating this matter by those at such a senior level of Police. She was ignored and badly let down. That was unacceptable”(93).

Institutional Harm

The IPCA concluded that “current structures and processes to protect the integrity of policing were ‘inadequate’”(12)(13). Public Service Minister Judith Collins called it a “massive failure of leadership”(3). The government announced the appointment of an Inspector-General of Police—the “strongest statutory oversight mechanism available”(14)(34).

Coster now controls a $190 million fund targeting vulnerable communities(65). Yet research shows neoliberal “social investment” policies increase inequality by investing in “attractive investment objects” (e.g., skilled women) while marginalizing vulnerable groups who require “massive investments” with “poor economic returns”(201). As one critic notes: “the logic of investment may result in policies that increase inequalities, further marginalizing vulnerable groups”(201).

Neoliberalism promotes individual responsibility while dismantling collective support(192)(198). Studies show that neoliberal beliefs emphasizing “anti-government interference” are associated with worse life satisfaction and social well-being(192). In New Zealand, 15 years of neoliberal reforms produced income inequality, child poverty, and the disenfranchisement of Māori workers—with Māori unemployment reaching 25% by the early 1990s(195)(198).

Cui malo? Māori and vulnerable communities. They will be measured, managed, and monetized—but not liberated.

Rangatiratanga Action and Moral Clarity

The Māori Green Lantern Fighting Misinformation And Disinformation From The Far Right

Andrew Coster failed. He failed a young woman. He failed institutional integrity. He failed tikanga. He should not oversee the welfare of our most vulnerable.

Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche is investigating Coster’s employment(3). The outcome is clear: Coster must resign. Anything less perpetuates the protection racket, signals that institutional elites are above accountability, and further erodes trust in public institutions.

The government’s response—appointing an Inspector-General of Police—is necessary but insufficient(14)(34). We need systemic transformation grounded in te Tiriti o Waitangi. This means:

Māori-led oversight of policing, prisons, and social services—not neoliberal “partnerships” but genuine rangatiratanga.
Abolition of market-based welfare. Replace “social investment” with universal, needs-based support that honors whanaungatanga and manaakitanga.
Transparency and accountability. All vetting processes, integrity investigations, and social investment contracts must be publicly accessible.
Addressing structural racism. Implement all recommendations from the 2024 police equity and fairness investigation(160).
Victim-centered justice. Restore aroha to the heart of our response to sexual violence.

The mahi is everything. The Ring empowers. Each essay: rangatiratanga manifested.

Kia kaha. Ka tū.

https://www.sia.govt.nz

https://npndfi.org.ua/?page_id=774&lang=en&aid=1165

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