Luxon Defends Handling of McSkimming Emails, Says Police and IPCA Were Already Involved

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has addressed revelations that his office received anonymous allegations against former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming in late 2023 and early 2024, saying standard protocols were followed.

The Prime Minister’s office was among several recipients of roughly 10 emails that accused McSkimming of misconduct. Those same emails were also sent to other politicians, police officials, and members of the media. Luxon said that because both Police and the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) were already copied in, there was no need for further action from his team.

“That’s our normal process,” Luxon told the NZ Herald. “If the police hadn’t received those exchanges as well, we would refer it on to the police. In this case, the police and the IPCA had received them as well as a number of ministers and media, and the IPCA, as you saw in the report, had responded.”

The IPCA later confirmed it had replied to one of the emails on January 4, 2024, advising the sender on how to make a formal complaint. Further information was provided, but the complainant later asked for the case to be closed.

Luxon was formally briefed on the McSkimming investigation in November 2024. He said he was “incredibly disappointed” by the findings of the IPCA report, which exposed serious failings by senior police leaders, including the mishandling of complaints made by a young woman.

“Having read the report, and having understood how large organisations work, it’s incredibly disappointing—shocking—to see the actions of that former police leadership team and their response to this issue,” Luxon said.

The controversy deepened this week after Police Minister Mark Mitchell revealed he had received 36 emails containing allegations about McSkimming that were withheld from him under a directive from then-Police Commissioner Andrew Coster. Those messages were instead diverted to Coster’s office.

While Mitchell described the move as “atrocious” and “a subversion of process,” Luxon maintained that his office acted appropriately and in line with established procedure.

The scandal has intensified scrutiny on the former police executive, who has pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual exploitation and bestiality material. Both Luxon and Mitchell have since backed calls for reform within the New Zealand Police following what has been described as an institutional failure of accountability and transparency.