Police Minister Mark Mitchell maintains recent Police raids in Ōpōtiki were an “outstanding job” amid reports a kuia was one of two women strip-searched.

Two weeks ago, Police executed 30 search warrants against homes allegedly connected to Mongrel Mob operations, including 15 in Ōpōtiki.

This morning, the New Zealand Herald‘s kaupapa Māori editor Joseph Los‘e reported a kuia’s claims she and her daughter-in-law were subjected to a strip search.

She told Los’e the invasive search was “unexplained and deeply troubling”, and left her “feeling violated and humiliated”.

“I was told to undress down to my undies, even had to lift my bra. I still cannot fully comprehend why this had to happen and the purpose of only searching her and I in this manner.”

Minister Mitchell, responding to a number of allegations including claims tamariki were left unsupervised in houses for hours following the raids, offered only flat-out denials.

“I could check with police on that, but again, the information that I‘ve had is that there’s no evidence to show that any of that stuff is happening.”

Nonetheless, Mitchell conceded he had not directly questioned police about the strip-searching allegations.

He invited those who had made the allegations to bring evidence forward and submit it to the Independent Police Conduct Authority.

He said Police are “very careful” in operations like his, and said he was “very proud” of their conduct.

Last week, local iwi Te Whakatōhea said it was not supportive of the raids and their effect on tamariki and kaumātua caught up in raided properties, while Te Pāti Māori co-leader and Waiariki MP Rawiri Waititi said the raids constituted “police-sponsored terrorism”.

Police declined to comment on Waititi’s comments, and insisted Te Whakatōhea had been “very appreciative” of the Ōpōtiki operation carried out on Tuesday October 22.

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