Police are close to concluding the re-investigation phase of adult sexual assault and child protection cases that were reactivated under Operation Hark.
Concerns were initially raised in May 2026 regarding the handling of a historical complaint. Following a rapid review of nearly 1,000 files managed by a single officer over a three-year period, 57 files were identified for re-investigation.
More than 45 senior and experienced specialist investigators from across New Zealand were assembled to prioritise these cases.
Detective Superintendent Keith Borrell says investigators have undertaken extensive work to locate and engage with victims and their families and whānau, provide support to them, connect them with partner agencies, and pursue all available lines of enquiry.
“The team has worked at an exceptional pace alongside Oranga Tamariki and other service providers in this field, ensuring a strong focus on the needs and wellbeing of victims has been at the heart of their work, as well as maintaining the highest of investigative standards,” he says.
“There are nine cases yet to be formally resolved, and there is a clear plan in place to bring these remaining matters to a conclusion as quickly as possible.”
At this stage, prosecution action has commenced in two cases, with further prosecutions anticipated in the coming weeks. Extradition proceedings are also being initiated in three matters involving suspects believed to be residing overseas.
The matters currently before the courts are:
- A 59-year-old Far North man, who has appeared in the Kaitaia District Court charged with two counts of indecent assault on a girl under 12 years of age and one count of indecent assault on a girl aged between 12 and 16 years. The charges relate to a single victim.
- A 53-year-old Far North man, who has appeared in the Kaikohe District Court charged with six counts of unlawful sexual connection, 10 counts of indecent assault on a girl, and one count of attempted rape. The charges relate to alleged historical offending against two victims.
To date, 43 matters have been filed where no prosecution has resulted.
“In some cases, victims advised they did not wish to proceed further with their complaint. Given these matters involve historical allegations, we acknowledge and respect their decisions.
“However, we have made it clear that they can return to Police at any time should they wish to revisit their complaint, and we will carefully reconsider the matter,” Detective Superintendent Borrell says.
The re-investigation phase has also identified 11 cases where further alleged offending occurred after the initial report to Police.
“This is a concerning finding from the wider Operation Hark response. Victims have every right to expect their reports will be thoroughly investigated, and it is deeply troubling that further harm may have occurred in some instances after that first report was made,” Detective Superintendent Borrell says.
“At every stage of engagement, we have worked to ensure victims have access to appropriate support services and welfare assistance.”
Cases subject to re-investigation
Police can now provide a breakdown of the cases included in the Operation Hark re-investigation phase.
Of the 57 cases:
- 42 relate to offending against children: 28 of these matters involve allegations of physical abuse and 14 involve allegations of sexual abuse
Twelve relate to adult sexual assault, where complainants were aged 18 years or older at the time of reporting.
How decisions are made
Experienced investigators and supervisors assess each case following an investigation and make recommendations as to whether formal action should be pursued or no further action should be taken.
The final decision to file a matter with no further action is made by a panel comprising:
The Senior Reporting Officer for Operation Hark, a senior representative from Police Integrity and Conduct, the Manager, Sexual Violence and Child Protection,
the Detective Superintendent responsible for the Criminal Investigation Branch in the Upper North Island.
For child protection matters, the panel is expanded to include two senior representatives from Oranga Tamariki.
Detective Superintendent Borrell says the panel considers a range of factors, including:
The quality and completeness of the investigation, the appropriateness of investigative decision-making, whether the victim’s best interests have been considered, whether all reasonable steps have been taken to support and safeguard victims, and whether appropriate measures have been implemented to reduce the risk of further offending.
Systems review continues
A separate systems review being undertaken as part of Operation Hark remains ongoing.
The review is being led by an experienced Police leader with significant expertise in reviewing police policy and practice and is supported by a multidisciplinary working group.
“Police take their obligations to victims extremely seriously. This working group continues to examine what contributed to this situation and identify opportunities to strengthen our adult sexual assault and child protection systems, processes, and partnerships to help prevent this occurring again,” Detective Superintendent Borrell says.
“This work remains underway and we expect the review to be completed by late October.”
Police will be publicly releasing the final report, as part of our commitment to victims and our partners in this important field of investigation.
