Why It’s Vital to Make a Police Complaint if You Are Assaulted at Work

Why It’s Vital to Make a Police Complaint if You Are Assaulted at Work  

Please follow this link to make a formal Police Complaint if you are assaulted at work : 105 Police Non-Emergency Online Reporting | New Zealand Police

Please also let NUPE know.

NUPE has a number of members that work in high-intensity environments where there is an unfortunate risk of being physically assaulted, threatened and intimidated while on the job. From Youth Justice Residences, to Community Probation and Community Work Supervision, to provision of supported living in the community sector, the work can be rewarding and can be dynamic and volatile.

There can sometimes be mixed feelings about reporting assaults in the work place and sometimes a lack of clarity about whose role it is to report assaults to the police. No matter the workplace policy, It is important that if you are assaulted – you make a police complaint – here’s why.

1. Protect Your Rights and Safety

First and foremost, being assaulted at work is not "just part of the job." Regardless of the setting, you have a legal right to a safe workplace. Making a police complaint ensures that your rights are recognized and protected. It sends a clear message that violence against staff is unacceptable and will be treated seriously. If incidents are overlooked or minimized, it sets a dangerous precedent — not just for you, but for your colleagues and the workplace culture as a whole.

2. Hold the Right People Accountable

Young people in justice settings, those involved with corrections and those that require supported community based living, often face complex struggles. Accountability is a key part of their rehabilitation and or ongoing support. Reporting an assault to police emphasizes personal responsibility and demonstrates the real-world consequences of violent behaviour.

Without formal complaints, harmful actions may go unchallenged, undermining the goals of rehabilitation and allowing patterns of violence to continue unchecked. If it is reported, care plans to effectively manage this risk can be developed and implemented and it can provide insight to a pattern of behaviour by the individual.

3. Ensure Organizational Transparency and Support

When incidents are officially recorded with law enforcement, it forces organizations to take them seriously. It prevents situations where an assault could be quietly "managed" internally without due attention. A police complaint prompts formal investigations, appropriate supports, and a higher standard of organizational accountability.

It also gives you documented evidence, which could be crucial for workers’ compensation claims, psychological support access, or even future legal protections.

4. Promote Cultural Change

Historically, some workers in care and justice settings have been made to feel that "coping with violence" is simply part of the role. This culture is outdated and harmful. Every police complaint helps chip away at that mindset, advocating for a more trauma-informed, safety-conscious approach for both young people and staff.

A single complaint might feel small, but collectively, these actions contribute to systemic change — demanding better risk management strategies, better staffing models, and better training.

5. Protect Your Mental Health and Wellbeing

Being assaulted can be deeply traumatic. Denying or minimizing that experience can compound harm and delay healing. Reporting the assault — and seeing it taken seriously — can be an important step in affirming that what happened to you matters. It can help you access counselling services, medical care, time off, and the space needed to recover emotionally and physically.

Ignoring or "pushing through" the trauma can lead to burnout, chronic stress, or more severe psychological injury later on.

Key Message From NUPE

Reporting an assault to the police isn't about being punitive — it's about upholding safety, respect, and justice for everyone involved. It's about making sure that workplaces are held to the standards they promise and that violence, even in complex environments, is never normalized. If you’re ever unsure about the process, reach out to NUPE, a manager, or a trusted advocate for support. You deserve to work in an environment where your safety is paramount — and making a police complaint when needed is one way to ensure that happens.

Guardians of the Sea: The Role and Risks Faced by MPI Fisheries Officers

New Zealand is a nation defined by its relationship with the ocean. With over 15,000

kilometers of coastline and an exclusive economic zone among the largest in the world, the sustainable management of our marine resources is critical — not just for the environment, but for future generations, our economy, and our identity.

At the heart of this effort are Fisheries Officers, employed by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). Often working behind the scenes — and sometimes on the frontlines — these officers are tasked with protecting our oceans, upholding the law, and ensuring the seafood we eat is harvested responsibly.

NUPE represents Fisheries Officers and celebrates the important and sometimes high risk work they do.

What Does an MPI Fisheries Officer Do?

Fisheries Officers are regulatory enforcement officers whose role includes:

• Monitoring commercial, recreational, and customary fishing to ensure it complies with the rules of the Quota Management System (QMS).

• Conducting inspections of vessels, fishers, fish retailers, and processors.

• Investigating illegal fishing activity, such as poaching, black-market sales, and fishing in protected areas.

• Working with iwi, hapū, and communities to promote sustainable fishing and protect customary fishing rights.

• Educating the public on fishing rules, seasonal closures, and legal limits.

Their work supports the long-term health of New Zealand’s fisheries, which contribute billions of dollars to the economy and provide vital food resources both locally and globally.

Safety Concerns on the Frontlines

While the role of a Fisheries Officer may sound like a mix of marine biology, compliance, and community outreach — it also carries significant risks. Fisheries Officers often find themselves working in remote, isolated environments, interacting with members of the public under stressful, and sometimes volatile, conditions.

Some key safety concerns include:

1. Aggressive or Non-Compliant Individuals

Officers may encounter individuals or groups who are angry, intoxicated, or actively trying to conceal illegal activity. Verbal abuse and physical threats are not uncommon, especially when officers interrupt potentially lucrative but illegal fishing operations.

2. Working Alone or in Remote Areas

Many officers carry out inspections in isolated coastal areas, harbours, or at sea, sometimes with limited backup. Poor cellphone reception, long response times, and rough terrain add to their vulnerability.

3. Marine and Weather-Related Hazards

Being out on boats, docks, or rocky shorelines exposes officers to slippery surfaces, large swells, and unpredictable weather conditions. The risk of falls, injuries, or getting stranded is ever-present.

4. Night Work and Surveillance Operations

Investigations can involve covert surveillance or operations during unsociable hours, increasing the risk of confrontation and reducing visibility and access to help if needed.

What’s Being Done to Protect Officers?

MPI asserts they take the safety of its staff seriously. Some measures in place include:

• Personal protective equipment (PPE) and safety training for all officers.

• Body-worn cameras and communication devices to capture incidents and request assistance.

• Protocols for working in pairs or with Police when risks are identified.

• Ongoing de-escalation and conflict management training.

  
  

Despite these, many Fisheries Officers and NUPE still feel that more could be done to acknowledge the unique dangers of their role, ensure they are adequately resourced, and give them the same recognition and protections as other frontline enforcement professionals.

Fisheries Officers are a critical part of New Zealand’s environmental and economic protection force. They uphold laws that safeguard our oceans, support our industries, and protect our food sources — often at considerable personal risk.

As we continue to rely on the ocean for food, culture, and livelihood, it’s vital we support those who stand guard over it. That means not only recognising their role but also ensuring their safety, wellbeing, and professional standing reflect the importance of the work they do.

NUPE is committed to the ongoing advocacy for Fisheries Officers. If you work in this role or apply for the role and are successful, please do contact us to join.

Shout ou to NUPE members out there, please contact us if you need support, advocacy or have any matters you need to bring to our attention.

Advocating for Family Group Conferences and thier Kaitiaki, The Family Group Conference Coordinator

Puao Te Atatū (1988) was a landmark report that laid bare the institutional racism embedded within the New Zealand child welfare system. It highlighted the disconnection between state agencies and Māori, and the urgent need to reflect Māori values, perspectives, and leadership in decision-making about the wellbeing of tamariki.

A core recommendation of the report was to empower whānau, hapū, and iwi through culturally appropriate, community-based solutions — as opposed to state-imposed interventions. This recommendation became the foundation for the Family Group Conference (FGC), a process introduced through the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989, now the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989.

FGCs were a world-first innovation that legally mandated a family- and whānau-led decision-making process in both care and protection and youth justice settings. The process was, and still is, intended to be a manifestation of tino rangatiratanga and a move towards partnership between the state and Māori as promised under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The Significance of the FGC Coordinator Role (and Legal References)

The FGC Coordinator is a pivotal figure in ensuring that the FGC process functions as intended — with integrity, neutrality, and cultural safety. Their role is clearly articulated in the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989, primarily in Sections 18 to 34. These provisions outline their statutory responsibilities, including:

• Convening the Conference within legislated timeframes.

• Consulting with whānau, victims, professionals, and tamariki to prepare for the conference.

• Ensuring the process is inclusive, mana-enhancing, and culturally safe.

• Facilitating the conference in a way that ensures whānau ownership of outcomes and decisions.

  
  

The Coordinator acts as both a guardian of process and a neutral facilitator, ensuring that legal obligations are met while also promoting meaningful participation by all parties — especially the whānau and tamariki at the centre of the issue.

Why the Role Must Be Protected, Strengthened, and Reinstated as a ‘Jewel in the Crown’

Despite its origins in transformative reform, the FGC Coordinator role has, over time, been eroded through:

• Organisational restructuring and lack of strategic investment.

• A diminishing understanding of the role’s independence and cultural significance.

• The potential fragmentation of practice through devolution without adequate safeguards.

  
  

This erosion threatens the very purpose of the FGC and undermines the spirit of Puao Te Atatū.

The Role Must Be:

• Protected: The Coordinator must remain independent, adequately resourced, and free from pressures that could compromise the integrity of the FGC process.

• Strengthened: Coordinators require robust training, cultural supervision, and support to carry out their roles effectively and safely.

• Reinstated as a Jewel in the Crown: Among all roles within Oranga Tamariki, the Coordinator embodies the department’s highest aspirations — partnership with Māori, empowerment of whānau, and tamariki-centred practice. This role should be celebrated, invested in, and elevated as a flagship example of what good practice looks like.

The Family Group Conference was a bold response to injustice — a tangible legacy of Puao Te Atatū and a genuine attempt to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The FGC Coordinator is the cornerstone of that process. If there is to be a restoration of faith in Oranga Tamariki and achieve equitable outcomes for tamariki Māori, it must uphold the mana of this role, protect its independence, and recognise it as a treasure — a taonga — within the department and across the child welfare system.

We continue to advocate strongly for the value and integrity of the FGC Coordinator role. This role is not only operationally important but is also of deep cultural and historical significance. We seek that Oranga Tamariki acknowledge and understand that they already have the mechanism and tool and people to achieve success in the difficult and complex work in front of them. They have the FGC process and the FGC Coordinators.

We acknowledge our members that work tirelessly in this space and those that pioneered the role that have passed.

Mathew Glanville

Advisor and Advocate

NUPE - National Union of Public Employees