‘Untenable’: Police commissioner 'very disappointed' he didn't learn of cop’s Labour hopes earlier
Monday, 8 June 2026
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers has expressed severe displeasure over the process that led to a superintendent standing at a high spot on the Labour list.
He says it is untenable for him to continue working in his current role.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell has also expressed severe displeasure, especially as the police ethnic lead was attending events with him as recently as Sunday afternoon.
Rakesh Naidoo, a superintendent who work as the ethnic, iwi and communities national partnerships manager at police, was announced as a Labour candidate on Monday morning with a very winnable list spot of 13, which all but guarantees his entry to Parliament.
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Chambers said he had only learnt about the possibility of Naidoo being a Labour candidate on Thursday afternoon, ahead of the list-ranking process that happened over the weekend.
“On Thursday afternoon I was informed by his supervisor that Superintendent Rakesh Naidoo was considering standing as a candidate for the Labour Party in the general election. On Sunday afternoon, I was told Superintendent Naidoo had confirmed he had accepted a position on Labour’s list,” Chambers said in a statement.
“Superintendent Naidoo has not contacted me directly on this and I am very disappointed that he did not inform me or his supervisor that he was in discussions about his candidacy at an earlier stage.”
“The Police Manual requires staff who are intending to stand for public office to advise of their intentions as early as possible. That is essential to ensure conflicts of interest and work tasks can be managed so that the neutrality and impartiality of Police is not brought into question.”
Chambers said he had not had any concern about Naidoo prior to this and had found him to be a hard-working and valuable staff member.
Nevertheless he now thought it was untenable for him to continue on.
“Given the nature of his role, I believe it is untenable for him to continue with his current duties and that his candidacy will affect his ability to be seen as independent,” Chambers said.
“As per the provisions of the Electoral Act which relate to leave arrangements for state servants standing for public office, Police is now in in discussion with Superintendent Naidoo about the period of leave he will be required to take ahead of the election.”
Mitchell said Naidoo should have notified police earlier given the access to sensitive information he would have, including from attending events with Mitchell as recently as Sunday afternoon.
“The Electoral Commission advises that for prospective candidates it’s preferable to notify their employer as early as possible, to allow for the employer to make any necessary arrangements for that process to take place, such as leave and reduced access to sensitive information. Mr Naidoo has chosen not to do that.”
“Police have clear guidelines for staff pursuing political matters, and it is now for them to consider whether his actions were in line with these requirements.
“I am particularly disappointed that Mr Naidoo was recently included in sensitive briefings in relation to public safety and government policy and has been attending events with me as recently as yesterday afternoon,” he said.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins said on Monday morning he was confident Naidoo had disclosed what he needed to and said he was a “catch” for Labour.
“He's currently having a conversation with the commissioner of police about what that transition is going to look like, and so he will join us once that is complete,” Hipkins said.
“I'm not going to go into all of those details, but he's been upfront with his employers.”
Following the comments from Chambers and Mitchell, Hipkins reiterated his confidence in the process.
“Rakesh Naidoo is a man of the utmost integrity, and I am confident he has conducted himself respectfully while remaining mindful of the political neutrality of New Zealand Police,” Hipkins said.
“His appointment was only confirmed on Sunday, and it was appropriate that the police minister was informed under the ‘no surprises’ convention. I look forward to welcoming Mr Naidoo to the Labour team after the election.”