Peter Marshall was the only senior police officer to retain any credit with the year 2000 Parliamentary Committee that investigated the policing of the visit of the President of China in 1999.

The Committee inquiry was prompted by Labour Government expectation that it would find evidence that  Jenny Shipley (by then Leader of the Opposition) had ordered the Police to keep 'free Tibet' protestors blocks away from the President. As things turned out she was not discredited.

The main outcome for me (and Wayne Mapp and other MPs who sat on that committee) was sad worry about integrity at senior levels in the Police.

Evidence from the protestors conflicted directly with Police evidence. As I recall it the lowest point came after protestors supplied video evidence. It included incontrovertible footage of Police in Auckland keeping protestors a block away from where the Police had previously told us they were permitted to assemble, including by use of a bus.

Senior Police officers from Auckland were summoned to explain the discrepancies.  Incredibly they persisted with their earlier story, until Peter Marshall broke with what seemed to be a pre-agreed strategy and acknowledged that the video was showing what actually happened.

It seemed to us on the committee that he paid an immediate price with his colleagues, so I'm delighted to see the current appointment as a fitting affirmation of success.