Luxon Insisted Police Officer Take Child’s Bike To Clear Space In His Garage

A child’s bicycle sitting unused in the Prime Minister’s garage has ended up in the hands of a police protection officer, after Christopher Luxon reportedly refused to accept the officer’s attempts to decline it.

The donation appears in Police’s annual gifts register, which records 165 offers made to staff in the past year. Most gifts are minor, though some are accepted, some are declined, and others are destroyed or passed on to charity.

According to the record, the officer was working a late shift two days before Christmas when Luxon offered him a small cruiser-style bike to give to his child. The officer initially turned it down, but Luxon encouraged him to come to the garage to look at it, saying the bike was no longer needed and clearing space would be helpful.

Supervisors later confirmed the gift was acceptable. The bike, estimated to be worth around $150, had belonged to Luxon’s daughter but was rarely used.

Other entries in the register show a wide range of gifts offered to police this year, from whisky and wine to travel souvenirs, specialty items from foreign police agencies, and thank-you gifts from members of the public.

Several alcohol gifts were accepted but later destroyed, including two $500 bottles of baijiu presented by members of the Chinese Embassy. Police policy generally discourages accepting alcohol, and some gifts are destroyed to avoid any perception of influence.

In one case, a member of the public attempted to gift whisky to Wānaka police after officers located an overdue aircraft. Police advised the gift was not necessary, but the bottle still ended up being taken and later destroyed after a request to donate it to a local Search and Rescue group was declined.

Other items received this year included a portable fruit juicer from Israeli police, which is now shared in a staff kitchenette, and a teddy bear gifted to the Police Commissioner by Hong Kong police, which will be kept as part of official office heritage.

Police say small, infrequent gifts of low value can be accepted, but money, vouchers and alcohol are generally expected to be turned down.