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The evidence provided by ministers and heads of the public sector to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch terror attack will be suppressed for 30 years, including the names of the Dunedin police officers who investigated the terrorist to obtain his weapons license.
And an interview with the Australian-born terrorist will never be published for fear that it could inspire and aid more attacks.
The investigation report was delivered yesterday to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Jan Tinetti, and will be released publicly on December 8, after being shared for the first time with the families of the victims and the leaders of political parties.
It will detail any failures by police, spies and other government agencies in the run-up to and after the mosque shootings on March 15, 2019, in which 51 people were killed.
In a last minute issued yesterday, Commissioners Sir William Young and Jacqui Caine said that tests and presentations by current and former public sector CEOs and ministers will be subject to non-publication orders for 30 years.
National security was cited as a reason for the suppressions. The full release of the evidence could provide an “instruction manual for future terrorists,” commissioners said. Those concerns would likely have “dissipated” in 30 years, they said.
They also said they wanted to protect the confidentiality of the people who spoke to the commission.
“We told them that our process was private and that we would not publish what they told us in our report without first going back to them.
“We did this with a view to encouraging frankness, which we received.”
The national coordinator of the Council of Islamic Women, Anjum Rahman, said the deletions raised concerns about liability.
“If there are significant flaws, the people at the top are responsible for that. And that’s why I find it difficult for those people to continue in their roles.
“Also, for the past Crown Ministers who are included in that, there is no liability for them unless the report itself contains sufficient evidence and submissions that relate any fault, negligence, incompetence on their part.”
Rahman said that if the investigation did not provide the necessary accountability, a forensic investigation might be required. He noted that it would be a stressful process and could only occur at the request of the victims.
A forensic investigation would also allow exploring aspects of the attack that the Royal Commission had ruled out, such as the role of social media companies or recommendations for weapons reforms.
Commissioners noted that some members of Muslim communities, academics and public sector agencies wanted the investigative interview with terrorist Brenton Tarrant released.
“Some people are frustrated that, by his guilty pleas, the individual avoided a trial in which the reasons for the terrorist attack could have been explored,” their record said.
The transcript will be provided to the New Zealand Police and the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (SIS) to help them improve their knowledge of far-right terrorists and lone actors, commissioners said.
But it would not be released because it included details on how he planned and prepared for the attack and could allow for more attacks.
It also included acknowledgments by the terrorist about what he considered to be “errors” in the way he carried out the terrorist attack, which potential terrorists could interpret as “advice.”
Furthermore, their motives and “reasoning” could be used to provide a platform for the dissemination of their views.
The identities of several individuals involved in the investigation, including the Dunedin police officers who investigated Tarrant for his firearms license and the individuals who provided references about him, would also be suppressed.
Tinetti will present the report in Parliament on Tuesday 8 December.
“I know this will have been a challenging process for whānau, survivors and witnesses of the terrorist attack and I want to acknowledge their commitment,” he said in a statement yesterday.
“I want to thank Commissioners Sir William Young and Jacqui Caine for seeking out and honoring those voices in their report.”
The report would be shared confidentially with families and victims prior to public release.
“It is right that they have the space and opportunity to reflect privately on the findings. We ask people to respect their privacy during this time,” Tinetti said.
Party leaders would also receive the report before it was made public.
Tarrant was sentenced to life in prison without parole in August.
