“Great, you’re Still a Cop”: Rainbow Perspectives of New Zealand Police

This article outlines the findings of research about rainbow people's perspectives on New Zealand's Police. It analyses 11 semi-structured interviews with rainbow people in New Zealand. First, participants reflected on what they saw as the role police play in New Zealand society. Some felt that police played an important role in maintaining the status quo relations of power, while others saw them playing a public safety role. Participants also expressed frustration with what they saw as police misunderstandings of rainbow people's needs, in relation to justice. While some participants were positive about police's adoption of rainbow "image work," sometimes criticized as "pinkwashing," most felt that efforts, alongside the introduction of diversity liaison officers remained tokenistic. Finally, the participants, who all had experiences interacting with police as a victim, bystander or alleged offender, expressed reservations about reporting any future victimization to police. While they saw a limited set of circumstances in which they would do so, many spoke to the lack of trust and understanding that underpinned their previous experiences. The article paints a complex and contradictory picture about rainbow people's perceptions of New Zealand police and challenge the assumption that New Zealand remains a bastion of progress on rainbow rights.