Police has an external, independent, expert panel to provide advice and oversight from an ethical and policy perspective of emergent technologies.
The expert panel operates as a reference group to which we will refer proposed policing applications of new and emergent technology (or significant enhancements of existing technology-enabled capabilities) on an as-needs basis.
The panel’s primary role is to provide advice and oversight from an ethical and policy perspective of emergent technologies. While advice will be received and considered in confidence, Police is committed to making the expert panel’s advice public wherever possible - acknowledging this may not be possible in every case, for example where disclosure would breach commercial obligations.
This panel supports Police’s commitment to carefully weigh privacy, security, and ethical consideration before looking at adding to its technology-enabled capabilities.
This will help provide assurance to the public that any major decision has been well considered and tested through an independent group.
Mid-term ‘Health Check’ of the Expert Panel
As a newly established advisory body, a mid-term review of how the Panel is working was written into its Terms of Reference; and the expectation was set, with both the Panel members and the sponsoring Police Executives, that an arms-length review of the Panel’s operations and Terms of Reference would be conducted after 12-18 months. This type of review is consistent with a best practice approach to advisory bodies operating in a governance environment, and is not an indication any particular concerns exist with the way the Panel is operating. The aim of the review is to confirm that the Panel is functioning as intended, and its Terms of reference remain fit for purpose – but also, in the spirit of continuous improvement, to identify potential opportunities to make any sensible refinements or enhancement.
The review was completed by a specialist consulting firm in May 2023 and the key findings are:
The Panel is functioning as intended
There are small operational improvements that can be made
While it’s still relatively early in the tenure of the Panel, the advice provided has been helpful
The terms of reference are fit for purpose
There are opportunities to further improve effectiveness by being more strategic and tactical
Biographies of the panel
Professor Michael Macaulay (Panel Chair)
Michael is Professor of Public Administration at the School of Government, Victoria University of Wellington. Michael’s research interests are ethics, integrity and anti-corruption within a public management and policy context. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed papers, chapter and articles, and is Australasian and Pacific Rim regional editor for Public Management Review.Dr Marion Oswald
Marion is Professor in Law (1 Sep 2023) at the University of Northumbria. She researches the interaction between law and digital technology and has a particular interest in the use of information and innovative technology by criminal justice bodies and the wider public sector. Marion regularly writes, speaks and advises on the legal and ethical implications of new technologies. Marion was awarded an MBE in Professor Jennifer Brown
Jennifer is currently a visiting professor at the Mannheim Centre for the study of Criminology and Criminal Justice, London School of Economics and Political Science. She has research interests in and published widely on evidence-based policing, police occupational culture, gender and policing and police decision making in serious crime.Dr Lindsey Te Ata o Tū MacDonald (Ngāi Tahu)
Dr MacDonald is a senior lecturer in political philosophy at the University of Canterbury and a research associate of Kā Waimaero - Ngāi Tahu Centre. His early career was in New Zealand’s State Services Commission and Te Puni Kōkiri (Ministry of Maori Development). He is a member of the University of Canterbury Human Ethics Committee (Chair 2012 - 2016), co-chair of the Aotearoa Research Ethics Trust (which reviews applications from researchers who are unable to access institutional ethics committees) and the Māori research appointee on the National Ethics Advisory Committee on health and disability research and services.Dr Nessa Lynch
Dr Nessa Lynch is the Matheson Lecturer in Law, Innovation and Technology at University College Cork, Ireland, and a Research Fellow at the Faculty of Law, Victoria University of Wellington. She was previously the Academic Director of the Royal New Zealand Police College, and prior to that was an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, Victoria University of Wellington, where she researched and taught in criminal law and justice, youth justice, and law and emerging technologies. Her work on biometrics, particularly facial recognition technology, has global reach, and has influenced law, policy and practice. She combines her background in children’s human rights to consider the impact of technology on children and youth. Dr Lynch has a strong interest in the translation of research to policy and practice and has provided expert advice for a range of international, public sector and private sector organisations, including chairing the New Zealand government’s Data Ethics Advisory Group and advising the New Zealand Law Commission on reform of DNA legislation.
Advice sought from the Panel – we asked, they said, we did
Report on ‘Safe and ethical use of algorithms’
New Technology Policy and Framework
Proposal to trial Zavy
Report on ‘Facial Recognition Technology: Consideration for use in Policing’
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Policy