Fresh report into Jevon McSkimming scandal reveals details of ‘clandestine’ affair
Tuesday, 3 March 2026
The police watchdog has released its second tranche of findings into the Jevon McSkimming scandal, revealing further details about the disgraced former deputy commissioner’s “clandestine” affair with a junior female staffer.
In its first 135-page report released last November, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) report covered the findings of the first two investigations, and found “serious failings” by “very senior officers” in responding to allegations of misconduct by McSkimming.
The allegations against McSkimming, made by a woman known publicly as “Ms Z”, included sexual interaction without consent, threats to use an intimate visual recording, and misuse of a police credit card and property to further a sexual relationship.
Now, the IPCA has revealed further details about the means with which McSkimming carried out the extra-marital affair with Ms Z - a police staffer almost 20 years his junior.
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As part of their investigation, the IPCA looked at McSkimming’s decision to invite Ms Z to stay with him in taxpayer-funded hotel accommodation on numerous occasions.
In 2016 and 2017, McSkimming’s primary workplace was at Police National Headquarters in Wellington, and he lived about 60-70km away.
Both he and his executive assistant at the time told the IPCA that he was regularly required to attend functions or late meetings in Wellington or catch early morning flights.
On those occasions, his executive assistant would book accommodation at a Wellington hotel, paid for by police and therefore the taxpayer.
The rationale for these bookings was explained to the IPCA as being to avoid a long drive home after a work event, or where he was required to attend a social function to ensure he was not having a drink and then driving.
As part of their investigation, the IPCA reviewed the police travel policy in force at the time, but found it to be “vague and unhelpful in providing guidance on the extent to which the examples Mr McSkimming gave were acceptable”.
Regardless, McSkimming would have needed approval from his senior manager for Ms Z to stay with him in the taxpayer-funded accommodation on between eight and 10 occasions.
In doing so, McSkimming breached police policy by not informing his senior manager that Ms Z would be staying with him.
“If he had done so, we consider it highly likely that approval would have been declined,” the IPCA said.
He further breached the Police Code of Conduct by staying in hotels at police expense and inviting the woman with whom he was having a sexual relationship to join him.
“If he had paid for the hotels himself, that would have been a different matter. However, the fact that the hotels were paid for by Police gives rise to the perception that he was using taxpayer money to further a clandestine affair, thus bringing Police into disrepute,” the IPCA concluded.
It noted its investigation had been “impaired by a lack of records” of travel expenditure and credit card statements from the time, given the time that had passed since the spending occurred.
“We have, therefore, not been able to review his credit card expenditure, and rely on the evidence of the complainant, Mr McSkimming, his former executive assistant and one of his supervisors at the time, in order to establish the nature and frequency of his use of Wellington accommodation paid for by Police,” the IPCA said.
Top cop to ask for money back
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said he was “very concerned” to learn of McSkimming’s use of hotels in Wellington, which he said showed “a disregard for taxpayers’ money and police expenditure policy”.
“I intend to write to Mr McSkimming seeking reimbursement of the costs of these hotel stays,” Chambers said in a statement.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell said any policy involving the use of taxpayer money should be clear, robust and able to stand up to public scrutiny. “I expect police will be considering any changes that may be required.”
Recovering funds was a matter for Chambers, he said, who had his “full support”.
McSkimming has since pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual exploitation and bestiality imagery and is currently serving nine months’ home detention.
Watchdog ‘satisfied’ with later police investigations
Separately, the IPCA looked at two investigations related to allegations of sexual offending against McSkimming.
The first investigation arose out of the events described the first IPCA report - that is, the allegations of sexual interaction without consent, threats to use an intimate visual recording, and misuse of a police credit card and property to further a sexual relationship.
While the authority previously raised extensive concerns about the early handling of the case, from November 2024 onward it found police conducted the investigation in line with adult sexual assault policy.
In September 2025, police provided the IPCA with a final investigation report, as well as external legal opinion and a legal peer review.
That report found that the evidential test under the Solicitor-General’s Prosecution Guidelines had not been met.
“We are satisfied that from November 2024 Police conducted an appropriate investigation and reached a view on prosecution that was reasonable,” the IPCA concluded.
However, it was during that first investigation that police discovered McSkimming had used his police device to access objectionable images.
A second investigation followed, resulting in him being charged and pleading guilty to offences under the Films, Videos and Publications Classification Act 1993.
The IPCA had no concerns about how this investigation was handled.
Chambers welcomed these conclusions, and thanked staff who conducted the investigations for their “thorough work in what were sometimes challenging circumstances”.
Police watchdog oversaw four investigations
Last year, the IPCA launched four investigations following revelations that then-deputy police commissioner McSkimming had viewed child sexual exploitation and bestiality imagery on his work devices.
Across those investigations, the IPCA was asked to review the:
Police executive’s handling of complaints against McSkimming;
Police investigation into sexual misconduct allegations;
Police investigation into McSkimming’s possession of objectionable material; and
Subsequent arrest of McSkimming’s complainant.
The Post previously revealed that as part of the fourth investigation, the IPCA would be looking into a complaint relating to how the arrest of the woman who complained about McSkimming was conducted, and how materials seized from her premises were handled.
After the release of the findings into the first two investigations, large swathes of the police executive team either retired or resigned.
Former deputy police commissioner Chris de Wattignar, deputy commissioner Tania Kura and assistant commissioner Paul Basham were among the casualties of the watchdog’s findings.
Former top cop, Andrew Coster, later resigned from his role as chief executive of the Social Investment Agency.
Meanwhile, victims’ advocates continue to call for the removal of Rachael Bambery, executive director of Service, Victims and Resolutions.
Bambery has retained her job despite describing Ms Z’s complaints “complete spam” and “gobbledygook” during the IPCA’s investigations.