This document reports findings from an independent review of bullying and related cultural issues within the New Zealand Police.

Key findings:

1. The survey found that the vast majority felt that Police is a great place to work, with 60% also stating that they are comfortable with the workplace culture and think it is improving.
2. On the other hand, the survey found that 40% of respondents had personally experienced (as distinct from merely observing) poor behaviour towards them over the past 12 months, 26% had experienced an isolated incident of abuse, bullying or harassment, and 9% had suffered sustained bullying.
3. Several interviewees reported sexist or racist behaviour by colleagues. While it was sometimes overt or explicit, it was more typically disguised as humour or banter. There were also examples of misogynistic and sexist comments that were indicative of a ‘macho’ working environment. However, this was reportedly far less common than other behaviours.
4. The weight of evidence suggests bullying and other related poor behaviour is not pervasive and is likely confined to particular individuals, workplaces and Police districts. There were certainly examples of strong positive cultures and effective leadership throughout the country and substantial evidence to suggest that at the district level there have been significant improvements over the last 10 years.