Courting Acclaim.

This:
A protest was staged on Saturday at the Auckland home of Vector Chairman Michael Stiassny over the treatment of website editor Vince Siemer.

And this:
Activist Penny Bright, who spearheaded Saturday's protest, says Siemer has been let down severely by the justice system. She says the defamation has never been proven in court and the judge who handed down Siemer's sentence should be sacked.

were always going to happen ... and it is entirely proper.
Justice should always be public, it should follow 'due process,' it should be reflective of public belief/perspective and definitely beyond reproach.

A Credibility Problem.

"... following a damning internal report raising concerns about dangerously low training standards ... police investigated more than 60 allegations of misconduct against recruits at the police college in the past year.
Charges include assaults against fellow recruits and police officers, attempted burglary, academic dishonesty, bullying, exhibiting offensive material, fraud and failing to pay a taxi fare." A belief that they are above and beyond? That they can do whatever so takes them with impunity??

and this is the 'new face' of our changed police force, a force given additional powers of discretion in pressing charges against parents that 'smack for purposes of correction,' a force in which we will learn to have greater confidence, a force to be reckoned with?

Oh dear.