John MacDonald: Where it all went wrong for Andrew Coster

What about all the weasel words we’ve been hearing from the Government about Andrew Coster? Who’s stepping down from the job of Police Commissioner to head the Government’s new Social Investment Agency.  

He’s leaving the police force a bit earlier than expected. He was due to stand down in April and, if I was a suspicious person, I’d see this as a win-win for him and the Government. Because, despite all the platitudes coming from the Beehive, the Government is going to be delighted that he’s moving on. But, unlike the Government, I'm not going to be so kind. 

Coster himself is describing the move as going from the bottom of the cliff in the police force to the top of the cliff running this new government agency, which is all about investing in people and supporting people to try and help them avoid getting into a life of crime in the first place. 

And I think “Cuddles Coster” —as some people like to refer to him as— is the perfect person to run this new agency. He’s been a lawyer, he was 2IC at the Ministry of Justice for a couple of years, he’s been a cop and, since 2020, he’s been commissioner. 

So he knows how the justice system works. He’s seen and understands some of the things that lead people into crime, he’s worked for a government minister, and he’s felt the heat when things haven’t gone right. 

So, hands down, he’s the best person for the new job.    

But, listening to Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, you would think they reckon he’s the best person to be Police Commissioner, as well. 

Let’s start with the Prime Minister. Here’s what he said yesterday about Andrew Coster: “He has done a really good job. Since we came to power, we made a really clear set of expectations, and laid that out really clearly. He has done an exceptionally good job.” 

The PM got a bit brassed-off when reporters reminded him that his predecessor Simon Bridges had described Andrew Coster once as a “wokester”, but Luxon wasn’t having a bar of that. 

And then there’s Mark Mitchell, who’s saying that the only reason he gave Coster a hard time was because the commissioner was working for a wishy-washy government back when Labour was in charge. 

But we all know that the reason they’re being so uncharacteristically kind about Andrew Coster is that, even though he’s leaving the Police, he’s still going to be working for them. And you can’t bag one of your honchos in public, because, if you did, you might get slapped with some HR legal action. And why would you make anything other than glowing comments about someone who’s still going to be working for you. 

In this new role Coster will still report to a government minister. Instead of Mark Mitchell it’ll be Nicola Willis, who is the Minister for Social Investment. But let me say what the Government isn’t saying. When it comes to Andrew Coster’s performance as Police Commissioner, I can’t let him away with the shambolic way he handled the anti-vax, anti-everything protest at Parliament back in February/March 2022. 

That was when we all started to learn about “policing by consent”, which Andrew Coster was big on. Which, in a nutshell, is about the police working in a way that encourages people to co-operate with them - instead of waving the big stick at them. 

Andrew Coster’s leadership of the police response to the Parliamentary protest two years ago was a shambles. There were all the shallow threats about seizing all the vehicles that were clogging up the streets. 

“If you don’t move those vehicles, we’re going to move them. We mean it. We mean it. Aww…maybe we don’t mean it.”  

What it meant is that by the time the Police did f

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Morning's Podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
What about all the weasel words? Eh, what about all
the weazel words we're hearing from the government about Andrew Coster,
who's stepping down from the job of Police Commissioner to
head the government's new Social Investment Agency. He's leaving a
bit earlier than expected. He was due to stand down
in April. And if I was a suspicious person, I'd

(00:33):
say this is a win win for him and the
government because despite all the platitudes that were coming from
the beehive yesterday, despite all the talk, the government's going
to be delighted that he's moving on. I'll get to
that in a second, and I'll tell you now, unlike
the government, I'm going to tell you exactly what I
think about Andrew cost and the specific time I think

(00:56):
he did a did an absolutely hopeless job. But I'll
get to that, as Costra himself is describing it. Instead
of being at the bottom of the cliff and the
police force in the police car, he's now going to
be at the top of the cliff, running this new
government agency which is all about investing in people and
supporting people to try and help them avoid getting into

(01:16):
a life of crime in the first place. And I
think old Cuddle's cost as some people like to refer
to him. I think he's a perfect person to run
this new agency. He's been a lawyer. Look at the
CV for a secon. He's been a lawyer. He was
too ice at the Ministry of Justice for a couple
of years. He's been a cop. He's been in the

(01:37):
well being in the Armed Defenders Squad. Is anything relevant
to this new job. But he's also been boss of
all the cops in the country since twenty twenty, so
he knows how the justice system works. He's seen and
understand some of the things that lead people into crime.
He's worked for a government minister, and he's felt the
heat from the public in the media when things haven't

(01:58):
gone right. So hands down best person for the new job.
But listening to Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Prime Minister
Christopher Luxon over the past twenty four hours, you would
think that they reckon. He's also the best person to
be the Police Commissioner as well. Let's start with the
Prime Minister. Here's what he said yesterday. But Andrew Coster, quote,

(02:19):
he has done a really good job since we came
to power. We made a really clear set of expectations
and laid that out really clearly, And in the space
of a sentence, he went from saying he's done a
really good job to saying, quote, he has done an
exceptionally good job. And the PM got a bit rushed
off when reporters reminded him that his predecessor, Simon Bridges

(02:39):
had described Andrew Coster once as a wongster, but Luxony
wasn't having a bar of that one. And then there's
Mark Mitchell, Police Minister Mark Mitchell, who's saying today that
the only reason he gave cost A hard time was
because the commissioner was wishy washy, because he was working
for a wishy washy government back when Labor was in charge.

(02:59):
It was never anything personal. But we all know, don't
we that the reason they're being so uncharacteristically kind about
Andrew Costa is that even though he's leaving the cops,
he's still going to be working for them. And you
can't bag one of your haunt shows in public because
if you did, you might get slapped with some hr
legal action. And the other reason being why would you
make anything other than glowing comments about someone who's still

(03:20):
going to be working for you as Secretary for Social Investment,
which is the official title of his new gig. Well,
actually there are two titles. The two titles in this
job one salary. He's going to be Secretary for Social
Investment and Chief Executive of the Social Investment Agency. And
in this new role he will still report to a
government minister, and sead of Mark Mitchell, it's going to

(03:42):
be Nichola Willis, who was the Minister for Social Investment.
So of course they're not going to bag someone who
works for them now and who will still work for
them when he starts the new job in November. But
let me tell you what the government isn't telling you
when it comes to Andrew Costa's performance as Police Commissioner.
I can't let him away with the shambolock way he

(04:04):
handled the anti vac's anti every Everything protest at Parliament
back in February March twenty twenty two. I can't. That
was when you remember we all started to learn about
policing by consent, which Andrew Costa was big on, which
in a nutshell, is about the police working in a
way that encourages people to cooperate with them instead of

(04:25):
waving the big stick at them. That's what policing by
consent is all about. Andrew Costa's leadership of the police response,
in my opinion, to the parliamentary protests two years ago,
it was a shambles. There were all the shallow threats
about seizing all the vehicles that were clogging up the streets.
Remember that you don't move those vehicles. Are we going

(04:46):
to move them? We mean it, we mean it, maybe
we don't mean it. Were no wonder some people started
calling them old cuddles. But what it meant is that
by the time the police did finally flush out the
muppets who reckoned, they were there for a genuine protest.

(05:07):
By the time Costa got around to doing what he
should have done weeks earlier and ordered his troops to
get rid of these people, by then the battle was lost,
and by then his policing by consent was in tatters.
And by then, in my opinion, that was the beginning
of the end for Andrew Costa.

Speaker 1 (05:27):
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