iSAYSO
Complaint To IPCA On Behalf Of Brigitta Maas and David Mills – IPCA Ref: 26-31317
Hello
I am writing further to matters already notified concerning Police conduct in the Rangitīkei district. This correspondence is sent deliberately to place concerns on the integrity record, as I do not have confidence that Police self-monitoring is operating effectively in this case.
I am an attorney acting under instruction of the trustee of a private trust, assisting beneficiaries. Despite this, New Zealand Police have repeatedly ignored attorneys, failed to engage in writing when requested, and proceeded with enforcement actions without addressing lawful representation. Multiple Official Information Act requests have been submitted asking how and by what authority Police disregard attorneys. These questions remain unanswered.
I also formally record that during a telephone call with Sergeant Neil Forlong, I was left feeling threatened, notwithstanding that I was acting in a professional capacity, not as a suspect or witness. While Sergeant Forlong indicated he was “comfortable” with the situation, the context, imbalance of authority, and refusal to engage through proper written process created a perception of intimidation. This is not acceptable when dealing with counsel.
These concerns sit alongside broader integrity failures already documented, including:
– Failure to provide any record or inventory of the first search and seizure
– Subsequent narrative changes implying property was not taken, despite it no longer being in the possession of those present
– Attempts by Police to redefine or narrow the scope of complaints made about their own conduct
– Repeated reliance on Police internal handling in circumstances where evidential gaps and contradictions exist
Taken together, this is not an isolated issue. It is a public-interest concern affecting confidence in Police conduct and accountability within the Rangitīkei district.
I do not accept that Police are capable of independently or adequately monitoring themselves in this matter. For that reason, I am placing these concerns directly on the integrity record and reserving all rights to escalate further should these issues continue to be minimised, delayed, or reframed.
Please ensure this correspondence is retained in full as part of the integrity record.
Tracy
Attorney acting under instruction of the trustee
On Jan 15, 2026 at 9:51 AM, <Case Resolution> wrote:
Kia ora
Your complaint to Police on 6 January 2026, has been forwarded by Police to the Authority.
We currently have very high volumes of complaints which means it may take some time before we reach your complaint. We will let you know when we start assessing it.
If you have further information relating to this complaint, it is important that you send this through to us immediately. Once we have made our final decision, further information may not be accepted unless you were unable to provide it earlier.
You can email this through to [email protected]. If the footage/documentation you would like to share is too big to email, please let us know and we can send you a link to securely share it or you can forward to PO Box 25221, Wellington 6140.
Our complaints process
Initially, we read your complaint and find the relevant Police records. In most cases, this is all we need to make a decision.
We will contact you if we need more information.
We won’t interview you or contact your witnesses unless we think the complaint is serious enough that it needs a formal investigation.
In some cases, we need more information from Police e.g. footage or the officer’s account of what happened. If this is needed, we will let you know.
As part of this process, the Police might contact you to get more information or see if they can resolve the matter. They are allowed to do this, and we encourage you to talk to them if they contact you about your complaint.
Please note that it may take several months for the Authority to obtain all the information needed to make a decision.
If your case needs investigation
If we decide your case needs investigation, we might ask Police to investigate. We will oversee their investigation to make sure it is thorough and fair.
In the most serious cases, we might decide to investigate ourselves. Any investigation that we do is independent from Police. We will generally arrange to talk to you about the matter and talk to any witnesses.
We will let you know if an investigation is required. Formal investigations can take a long time, but we will do our best to conduct any investigation as quickly as we can, and keep you updated on progress.
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Ngâ mihi,
Karen
Team Coordinator – Resolution
Independent Police Conduct Authority, P O Box 25-221, Wellington 6140, Aotearoa New Zealand
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