Emmy Rākete

Guest writer

Dr Emmy Rākete (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa) is a communist and prison abolitionist from Tāmaki Makaurau. She is a lecturer in criminology at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland, studying the political economy of mass incarceration. She co-founded the prison abolitionist group People Against Prisons Aotearoa in 2015.

Tamatha Paul (Image: The Spinoff)

Is Tamatha Paul in ‘la-la land’? Here’s what the evidence says

A history of negative experiences of policing will affect how some communities view the police – and it's crucial that the opinions of these communities are heard.

By Emmy Rākete

& Peyton Bond | 28th March, 2025

Photo: Getty Images; design The Spinoff

The problem with prison double bunking

It's an improvised, dangerous response to prison overcrowding.

By Emmy Rākete | 7th October, 2024

IMAGES FROM THE OMBUDSMAN’S FINAL REPORT ON AN UNANNOUNCED INSPECTION OF WAIKERIA PRISON, AUGUST 2020

We warned Kelvin Davis about the Waikeria uprising

The conditions at Waikeria were called 'unfit for purpose' long before the protesters burned it down.

By Emmy Rākete | 13th January, 2021

Black Lives Matter March For Solidarity in Auckland on June 1, 2020 (Photo: Jihee Junn)

The whakapapa of police violence

From 1846, various militia formed the New Zealand Armed Constabulary Force, to 'combat Māori hostiles and to keep civil order'. In 1885 they changed uniforms and became the NZ Police.

By Emmy Rākete | 29th December, 2020

Nikau Andrews in the emergency department at Auckland Hospital on June 21. (Image: supplied)

All the iwi liaison officers in the world won’t reform the NZ Police

A video of the arrest of an Auckland man has gone viral, as police violence goes under the microscope globally. It's all part of a familiar cycle, writes Emilie Rākete.

By Emmy Rākete | 26th June, 2020

Black Lives Matter March For Solidarity in Auckland on June 1, 2020 (Photo: Jihee Junn)

The whakapapa of police violence

From 1846, various militia formed the New Zealand Armed Constabulary Force, to 'combat Māori hostiles and to keep civil order'. In 1885 they changed uniforms and became the NZ Police.

By Emmy Rākete | 4th June, 2020

Armed police during a raid on the Headhunters gang in 2015 (Photo: Getty Images)

Armed police patrols are a dangerous response to a non-existent problem

On Friday it was announced that Armed Offenders Squad patrols will be trialled in Counties Manukau, Waikato and Canterbury over the next six months.

By Emmy Rākete | 22nd October, 2019

Prison

The Ngawha scandal proves Corrections cannot be trusted to change its own culture

On Monday the government announced its new five-year strategy to reduce the Māori prison population. Emilie Rākete looks at another 'kaupapa Māori' prison initiative that degrades prisoners and asks if Corrections are capable of seeing it through.

By Emmy Rākete | 24th August, 2019

Runescape and communism: How did the two meet? Emilie Rākete has the lowdown.

Free armour trimming: The Communist revolution inside Runescape

Before Fortnite, there was Runescape. And well before Runescape, there was an eternal class struggle. Emilie Rākete writes about the moment the two collided in the most unexpected way.

By Emmy Rākete | 29th March, 2019

Getty Images

Unsafe and unjustified: Cops carrying guns endangers us all

Frontline police in Christchurch have been told to carry guns until further notice following two incidents in the city during which police were shot at. But more guns are not the answer, argues Emilie Rākete.

By Emmy Rākete | 2nd March, 2019