Newly appointed Police Commissioner Richard Chambers expressed an eagerness to meet with a documentary producer involved in the high-profile hunt for Tom Phillips just days before officially taking the helm of the New Zealand Police. The exchange, revealed through a series of emails, shows Chambers telling the producer he would “love to catch up over a meal” during a critical transition period for the agency.
The correspondence centers on a factual documentary involving the Marokopa operation—the intensive search for Tom Phillips and his children in the Waikato bush. The production, a joint NZ, UK, and US venture, was granted extended exclusive access to the police operation, a move that has since sparked internal reviews and public scrutiny over media impartiality and operational security.
The timing of the outreach is particularly sensitive. While Chambers has since acknowledged that the police did not handle the documentary process properly, the emails show a warm, informal rapport between the incoming commissioner and the production team immediately preceding his start date.
A Timeline of Informal Outreach
The interaction began on November 21, when Rutherford emailed Chambers to congratulate him on a recent radio interview, writing, “Great interview on ZB this morning, Richard, and a HUGE felicitations mon ami!” She suggested a brief meeting in Wellington, noting that the documentary project was “a wonderful opportunity to showcase the amount of operate that has been going on behind the scenes for NZ Police.”
Chambers responded by inviting her to let him know when she would be in Wellington, stating, “I would love to catch up over a meal if you have time.”
The conversation shifted toward a more formal briefing on a Saturday evening, when Chambers reiterated his interest in meeting. By Sunday morning, the producer clarified that she would be in Wellington the following Thursday to meet with police communications staff. She suggested that Chambers sit in on that meeting, noting, “you’ll desire to be briefed fully to make sure you are happy with our proposal!”
Chambers replied Sunday afternoon that while his schedule “might be a bit tight,” he would diary the event. The highly next day, he officially began his tenure as Police Commissioner.
The Controversy Over Exclusive Access
The relationship between the police and the production company, led by CEO Dame Julie Christie, has come under intense scrutiny. The documentary crew was granted unprecedented access to the search for Tom Phillips, which included receiving a text “heads up” from police communications before 7 a.m. Stating that Phillips “has been shot”—information that reached the filmmakers before the family had been notified.
This breach of protocol has led to a broader admission from the police that other media outlets “were not served well” during the operation. Richard Chambers himself stated last week that the police did not handle the documentary process properly and confirmed that the matter is now under review.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell has defended the nature of his own interactions with the production lead. In a statement, Mitchell noted, “I have seen Julie at social occasions where she has talked about her work, including the documentary.” He emphasized that the police remain the sole decision-makers regarding media access and documentary approvals.
Operational Impact and Stakeholders
The fallout from the “exclusive access” arrangement affects several key groups:
- The Phillips Family: Who faced the trauma of learning critical news potentially after a media crew had been alerted.
- The News Media: Who alleged a lack of transparency and unfair competition due to the exclusive nature of the documentary access.
- NZ Police Leadership: Now tasked with reviewing communication protocols to prevent similar lapses in the future.
- The Public: Who are questioning the intersection of high-stakes law enforcement and commercial documentary production.
The Balance of Professionalism and Access
The emails raise questions about the boundaries between professional networking and official police business. The producer’s mention that Minister Mitchell was “aware” of the project and that Dame Julie Christie and the Minister were “getting together today for a proper debrief” suggests a high level of coordination between the production company and government officials.
For the New Zealand Police, the challenge now lies in reconciling these informal relationships with the need for a rigid, transparent process for media access. The “meal” and “coffee” invitations mentioned in the emails contrast sharply with the formal review now underway to determine how the Marokopa operation’s media strategy failed.
| Date/Time | Event/Communication | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 21 | Initial Email | Rutherford congratulates Chambers; suggests a “hello” in Wellington. |
| Saturday 10pm | Chambers’ Response | Expresses desire to “catch up over a meal.” |
| Sunday Morning | Producer’s Reply | Suggests a briefing on the NZ/UK/US documentary proposal. |
| Sunday Afternoon | Chambers’ Confirmation | Agrees to diary the meeting despite a “tight” schedule. |
| Monday | Official Start | Richard Chambers begins his role as Police Commissioner. |
The review into the documentary process is expected to provide clarity on whether the “hand-in-hand” cooperation sought by the producers compromised the integrity of the police operation or the privacy of the families involved. The outcome of this review will likely dictate how the New Zealand Police handle high-profile media partnerships moving forward.
The next official checkpoint will be the release of the internal review findings regarding the documentary’s handling and the subsequent updates to the police communications protocol.
We invite readers to share their thoughts on the balance of media access in police operations in the comments below.
