Police have arrested two suspects after an alleged assault on a Papakura supermarket security guard in April.

The guard tried to intervene during a shoplifting at the Averill Street store on 24 April.

“Two offenders allegedly subjected the guard to an assault which required him to be taken to Middlemore Hospital for treatment,” said Detective Senior Sergeant Natalie Nelson from Counties Manukau South CIB.

This week, detectives executed search warrants, arresting a 17-year-old female and a 15-year-old male, who have since appeared in court.

Both have been charged with aggravated robbery in the Papakura District and Youth Courts.

Detective Senior Sergeant Nelson said two other young people were referred to Youth Aid.

“No-one should be subjected to violence or be assaulted in their place of work,” she said.

“We will continue to hold those offenders engaging in retail crime and violent offending to account.”

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Police say alcohol is fuelling a rise in bad behaviour by rowdy teenagers in Nelson and they’ve increased patrols over the weekends to deal with the problem.

Police officers are worried the behaviour will lead to violence and the problem has co-incided with the closure of a Nelson charitable trust that helps kids stay out of trouble.

Nelson Senior Sergeant Byron Reid said police noticed the increase in youth on the streets about a month ago, between the hours of 8pm-4am, and that often, they were drunk.

“Generally, the age is around 13-18 and they are not in big packs,” he said. “They are individuals, or they might be in groups of three to four or more.

“We are talking about 20-odd children in regular contact with police or regularly in the CBD during those hours over the weekend.

He said seeing young teens on the street late at night, intoxicated, was worrying.

Reid said violence often occurred when people were overly intoxicated.

“It’s always a concern, when you’ve got youth around alcohol. You might not have intended to go out at night to make bad decisions, but once the alcohol comes on board, bad decisions can be made.

“We just don’t want any of our local community injured or affected by this.”

He said police had identified some of the young people’s famililes and they were working with them to prevent them being out on the streets late at night.

“Our rangatahi, we want to make sure they’re safe and not put in situations that can cause them harm.”

He said police weren’t sure how the youth were getting alcohol and they had conducted an investigation in Nelson, which found bottle shops and supermarkets selling alcohol to minors on four occasions. They had been referred to the Alcohol Regulatory & Licensing Authority.

Closure of youth-focused service

Whanake Youth co-founder Lee-ann O’Brien said the health and wellbeing service was started to provide holistic support for vulnerable and marginalised young people into adulthood.

The charitable trust closed last month after nine years, because of financial difficulties.

It had a drop-in space called ‘The Lounge’ for 12-24 year olds, behind the Stoke Memorial Hall, and offered employment opportunities through SYP Cafe, along with school-based services and community programmes.

O’Brien said she worried about where the young people who used the service and spent time at The Lounge would go.

“They said, ‘We come here, because it’s safe… we come here, because it’s fun to do… we come here, because I can’t go home or can’t go to my friend’s place’.

“For me, the concern is, if they’re not here, then where are they and what are they doing?”

O’Brien said lots of services supported young people, but didn’t focus on them and Whanake Youth’s aim was to take into account whatever a young person needed, working alongside family and education providers, including those who had been excluded from mainstream education.

“There is no other service that looks at that bigger picture, with that particular young person in mind and follows their journey.”

She said she had noticed an increase in 10-12-year-olds causing trouble a couple of years ago and the reasons for the behaviour were not clear, but post-pandemic, some young people struggled with resilience.

“We’d seen some young people consuming alcohol, which we hadn’t seen for a really long time, and presenting drunk during the daytime and leaving school to steal stuff.”

She said school and home were places of connection for youth, but they didn’t necessarily feel that, so it was important they felt they had somewhere they belonged.

“I worry, particularly for the young people that we would work with, who seem to have gaps in that ability to feel connected.

“I worry that some of their decision-making may not be so good – what young person makes a good decision anyway? – but then who picks that up and awhis [embraces] them along in that journey?

“How do we restore that relationship with that person? How do we do differently next time?”

O’Brien said she was having conversations with Nelson Bays Primary Health, after the closure of Whanake Youth, to ensure there wasn’t a long break between services.

“We weren’t the whole jigsaw, but we were part of it, and now it won’t be a complete picture.”

‘Nip it in the bud’

Nelson Mayor Nick Smith said he was pleased police were increasing patrols, given the problems, but said that parents needed to do their bit too.

“I’m not sure what has led to the increasing numbers of these quite young youth congregating in our central city at the early hours of the morning,” he said. “What I do know is I’ve had multiple reports of it.”

Smith said he had heard from hospitality business-owners, who were used to dealing with 16 and 17-year-olds trying to get into bars and nightclubs, but that they were now seeing 13 and 14-year-olds trying to get in.

He said teen drinking was problematic and he was worried someone would get hurt.

“That’s where we need to nip it in the bud to make sure that we’ve got age-appropriate curfews for our young people and asking our parents, particularly of those 13, 14, 15-year-olds, to work with police, so that we’re not going to end up with a young person being injured or harmed in our CBD.”

Smith said the closure of Whanake Youth was disappointing, but there was plenty of effort through sports clubs, theatre, music, cadets and other community organisations to support young people, and he was open-minded on whether more could be done.

“If there is more that we can do so that our city is providing the opportunities for our young people to be able to enjoy themselves and be able to develop without this high risk behaviour that’s occurring in our CBD, we do need to think about that.

“It’s just making sure that those social services work. I haven’t heard they’re not, I want to give the police the community support.

“If we find that there are gaps, then we need to see how we fill those.”

Police said the increased police presence in Nelson’s CBD would continue for as long as it was needed.

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Warning: This story discusses graphic details of violence towards children.

Who killed Soul Mathew Turany?

The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Superintendent Darryl Sweeney, says there are only two sensible possibilities – the 16-week-old baby’s mother, Storme Turany, or her then-boyfriend, Tony Farmer.

“Police are satisfied, on the established facts, that during the critical time period, there have been no persons other than Ms Turany and Mr Farmer that had access to Soul,” Sweeney told the inquest into the child’s death.

“A scene examination had ruled out the possibility that any third party had inflicted the injuries on Soul.”

Soul lived with Storme Turany and Tony Farmer in a rural home near Darfield.

On 30 August 2014, he was flown to Christchurch Hospital, after emergency services were called by Turany, sister Skye Lamborn, neighbour Natasha Brougham and Farmer, all expressing concern about the baby’s breathing and health.

He died in hospital early the next day.

Sweeney said police had to keep an open mind, as officers were not present when Soul suffered the fatal assault, but “the type of injury sustained by Soul… narrows the assessment of who did this to two people”.

“I’ve probably learned over 30 years that anything can be possible, but sensibly, on the facts that we have, it did come down to the two,” Sweeney told coroner Ian Telford.

The inquest heard Soul’s skull was broken in two places. He had bleeding in one eye and over a vast tract of his brain.

The right side of the baby’s brain was covered in blood by the time he reached hospital.

What killed Soul was reasonably well established, but how he came to suffer those injuries remained a mystery more than a decade after the child’s death.

Soul would have turned 12 on Saturday, but the circumstances leading to the end of his brief life were instead being examined by coroner Telford during the two-week inquest in Christchurch.

No-one has ever been charged over the baby’s death.

“Throughout the inquiry, three criminal liabilities were considered, based on the various findings and information gathered,” Sweeney said. “The charges considered were murder, manslaughter and infanticide.

“Based on the facts and evidence to date, I do not believe the injury to Soul was accidental.”

Turany had been interviewed by police on three occasions. She gave a written statement to police while at hospital, within hours of Soul’s admission.

When asked directly by police whether she had shaken or hurt Soul, Turany denied any responsibility.

“Miss Turany admitted that she struggled to be a mother and have a relationship, and she’d been considering terminating a relationship with Mr Farmer around the time of Soul’s death,” Sweeney said.

Turany was then interviewed twice under caution in September 2014.

“Throughout the three interviews with Ms Turany, she has maintained a position of innocence,” Sweeney said.

“The consistent theme in Ms Turany’s interviews was that she was not involved in the death of her son. She also did not nominate any other person who may have been responsible for the injuries.”

Farmer was interviewed four times – on the afternoon of Soul’s admission to hospital, about a fortnight later, again in November 2014 and then almost two years later in July 2016.

He spoke to investigators for about eight hours over those four interviews.

“The consistent theme in Mr Farmer’s four interviews was that he was not involved in the death of Soul,” Sweeney said. “He also did not nominate any other person who may have been responsible for the injuries.”

Soul’s home held no clues as to what had happened to him.

“There’s no forensic information in that scene – bearing in mind it’s a single injury and there’s been no bleeding,” Sweeney said.

“It’s an unremarkable scene in that, as I’ve described, it’s a very nice, tidy, well-kept house. It told us some things about the living conditions, but not forensically about how Soul died.”

“He was, by all accounts, up to the 30th of August, a well-cared-for baby, who was meeting all his developmental milestones, and appropriately engaged with his mother, with Plunket and a general practitioner.”

Messages from Storme Turany to Lamborn and others showed she was under strain as a new mother, but Sweeney said that was to be expected.

“So tired, I think I’ve had at the most two hours’ sleep aye,” one message to her sister said.

Sweeney did not read much into those complaints.

“From an investigative point of view, this is kind of life with small children, right?” he said. “It’s very difficult, it can be, so it’s one of those little bumpy periods.”

Turany and Farmer’s relationship ended soon after Soul’s death. About a fortnight after Soul died, Farmer sent Turany a message.

“I never hurt Soul, Storme,” the message said. “You mean everything to me.

“I would never do anything to hurt you. I would’ve never done anything to f**k up the family I wanted.

“I loved you. I always will.”

On Friday, the inquest also heard the distressing and frantic phone calls made to emergency services, as Soul’s condition deteriorated on the morning of 30 August 2014.

Soul could be heard letting out cries at times during those calls. It brought his mother to tears and she had to leave the court at times.

“Come on, baby, come on, come on, come on, come on,” Skye Lamborn said, while on the phone to 111.

The calltaker assured Lamborn she was doing a great job.

“Oh my goodness, I just feel hopeless,” she responded.

By the time of the phone calls, which were about 7am, Soul was barely responsive.

“Every 10-15 seconds, he’s taking a breath and it’s very gurgly,” Lamborn said to 111.

About 6.30am, Turany had called Healthline, with serious concerns about the boy’s health.

“I’ve got a three month, almost four month-old baby and he’s been screaming since three o’clock,” Turany said. “He’s got a cold at the moment, but I’ve been unable to get him to stop.

“Well, my partner’s holding him now and he’s just slowed down, but he’s got like creamy stuff coming out of his ears.”

Emergency services arrived at the home about 7.10am.

Dr Ross Keenan, a neuroradiologist at Christchurch Hospital at the time, said Soul’s brain was beginning to meltdown by the time he was flown to the hospital.

A scan about 10.20am showed the dire conditions inside the child’s skull.

It revealed blood at the top of the brain, as well as beneath the brain, bleeding in one eye, and the outer part of the brain dead or dying.

“This is an extremely ominous scan, essentially indicating that the brain has almost certainly had a huge hypoxic-ischemic insult, so lack of oxygen, lack of blood supply,” Keenan said.

“If the brain has enough time to adapt, it will try to preserve these deep structures, which are vital to survive.”

The injuries were unlikely to be survivable, Keenan told the coroner. The damage to the brain was substantial, with only its core, central functions intact.

“All of the things that make humans human – emotion, attentiveness, executive functionality, hearing, motion, sensation – just about all those vital functions that you require for a human to be a human effectively,” Keenan said, when asked what functions Soul would lose, based on the damage present in the imaging.

“If you’re only left with this and your brain stem, you may still be alive – in that your heart beats and you breathe – but you’re really not going to be a functional human.”

He estimated the injury had occurred between 6-12 hours before the scan was taken.

“This MRI has been done quite early in the piece and we could probably predict that this is only going to get far, far worse in the next 24 hours,” Keenan said.

“The brain’s going to swell up. It’s going to squash all these spaces and the patient’s probably going to cone, where they effectively try to push their brain out through the bottom into their spinal canal, because the brain is so injured and so swollen.

“You get into a vicious downward spiral, which no treatment is going to reverse.”

Young infants were unlikely to accidentally cause such injuries to themselves, Keenan said.

“As I’m sure everyone is pretty aware, three-and-a-half month-olds don’t really walk around, and don’t put themselves in a position of damaging themselves or falling, or all the things that older children can do when they’re mobilising,” he told the coroner. “From our point of view and my own point of view, this is a non-accidental injury, until proven otherwise.”

The inquest continues next week.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

The southbound lanes of State Highway 2 along the Hutt Road between Petone and Wellington have been blocked after a pedestrian was struck by a car.

Police said they were alerted to the incident at 6.25pm.

Traffic build-up was already significant and police were advising motorists there would be “extensive delays”.

Police said they would provide information on the injury status of the pedestrian as soon as that information was available.

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This story contains sensitive details that may be distressing to read

A coronial inquest heard that police were looking to design a bespoke restraint chair with a head cushion, after a young man restrained in a chair inside police cells died.

Jaye Taueli forcefully thrashed his head back and forth over 160 times, while tied down in the chair, and later lost consciousness.

He was 21, when he died in Middlemore Hospital on 31 August, 2021 from a ruptured malformed vessel in his brain – a day after he was arrested for breaching electronically monitored bail, while charged with a sexual assault.

Police officers noticed signs of methamphetamine use when they arrested him and later put him in a restraint chair, after he banged his head on a cell door and walls, and appeared to try to strangle himself.

An investigation by the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) in 2023 found the use of the chair was justified, but that police still failed in their duty of care, and less forceful and less intrusive options should have been used first.

The two-day inquest in Auckland scrutinised the treatment of Taueli at the Counties Manukau Custody unit. It also heard discussions on how police manage detainees who are under the influence of drugs, and/or are suicidal, and what improvements were made to the training of custodial officers since Tuaeli’s death.

Inspector Jana Dale Peterson, who manages custody units across the country, told the inquest police now required all custody officers to be trained in the use of restraint chairs and custody supervisors had ongoing face-to-face training.

He said there were now more guidance on the monitoring of detainees who were suicidal.

Peterson said they were developing a prototype for a new restraint chair, with more protections around the headrest.

“We’re looking at developing a cushion… that can be put on the top end of the chair, so that when the person’s strapped in, their head will be pressing against it with the straps,” he said. “There should be very minimal movement.”

However, it was unclear when the new chair would be ready to use in custody units.

The lawyer assisting the coroner, Anson Grant, asked Peterson if the risk was lower now for a detainee to be punched in the face, when resisting being put into a restraint chair and threatening to bite officers – as Taueli was. Peterson answered he couldn’t confirm that, citing a “dynamic environment in custody”.

Peterson said they provided the training, but couldn’t always determine the outcome, as many factors came into play.

Asked if there were circumstances when police shouldn’t put a detainee in a restraint chair, when they’re agitated, Peterson said police were heavily scrutinised by the Ombudsman and the IPCA in the use of the chair, and it was only used when the risk assessment deems it was needed.

Scottish neuropathologist Dr Colin Smith told the inquest that Taueli’s head trauma and the trashing of his head in the chair alone couldn’t have killed him.

“The head is not impacting against a truly solid object, so from the biomechanics of head injury, the forces are not going to cause blood vessels to rupture,” he said.

Dr Smith said Taueli’s use of meth, combined with the vigorous head movement and his agitation, may have elevated his blood pressure – causing a pre-existing malformed blood vessel to rupture.

The inquest also heard from pharmacologist Dr Macdonald Christie that meth levels found in Taueli were low and not enough to have caused any spikes in blood pressure.

By the end of the two-day inquest, coroner Tania Tetitaha acknowledged the difficulty for police, when faced with detainees who were suicidal or under the influence of drugs.

“I think, when you’re restraining someone who may not only be self-harming or giving the indication of self-harming, but may also have hidden natural problems – however they’re bought about – that’s always a combination that even medical professionals would be struggling [with]” she said.

Little was known about the life of Jaye Taueli and no family members were at the inquest.

In the week leading up to his arrest, police said Taueli’s phone had more than 100 text messages related to drug dealings.

He was also involved in three family-harm incidents that week.

Police photos showed that a sparsely furnished unit, with a mattress on the floor, a smoke detector blocked with a cloth and a plastic bottle with a pipe, was where Taueli spent his last days on bail.

Where to get help:

• Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason
• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO. This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends
• Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 or text 4202
• Samaritans: 0800 726 666
• Youthline: 0800 376 633 or text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz
• What’s Up: 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787. This is free counselling for 5 to 19-year-olds
• Asian Family Services: 0800 862 342 or text 832. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, and English.
• Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254
• Healthline: 0800 611 116
• Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155
• OUTLine: 0800 688 5463
• Aoake te Rā bereaved by suicide service: or call 0800 000 053

If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

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Attributable to Senior Sergeant Rachel Walker, Area Prevention Manager:

A man has been remanded in custody following burglary and vehicle-related offending across North Canterbury and Christchurch.

The co-ordinated investigation was led by Canterbury Rural Tactical Crime Unit, working alongside multiple specialist Police workgroups.

Police allege the offending occurred over several weeks in March and April 2026, including a commercial burglary at a Rangiora building supply store, and subsequent offending linked to stolen vehicles and fuel drive offs.

As part of the investigation, Police executed a search warrant at the alleged offender’s home address, where clothing and footwear consistent with those worn during the alleged offending, along with other items of evidential value were located.

The 40-year-old man appeared in the Christchurch District Court today [8 May], on two charges of theft, one of burglary, and two of driving while disqualified. He has been remanded in custody until his next court appearance on 29 May.

An arrest for this type of offending brings with it a reminder to vehicle owners that stolen and counterfeit registration plates are commonly used to conceal offending.

Vehicle owners are advised to remove or obscure registration plates when advertising vehicles online, and to secure plates with tamper proof screws.

These are available at events run by our partner organisation, Community Patrols New Zealand (CPNZ), for a small donation.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre. 

MIL OSI

Police have made two arrests over an alleged serious assault on a supermarket security guard late last month.

An investigation commenced after two offenders fled from a Papakura supermarket on Averill Street on 24 April.

Detective Senior Sergeant Natalie Nelson, from Counties Manukau South CIB, says the security guard had intervened during a shoplifting taking place.

“Two offenders allegedly subjected the guard to an assault which required him to be taken to Middlemore Hospital for treatment,” she says.

This week, detectives executed search warrants in the search for the alleged offenders.

A 17-year-old female and a 15-year-old male have both been arrested and put before the Court.

Both have been charged with aggravated robbery, appearing before the Papakura District and Youth Courts.

Detective Senior Sergeant Nelson says two other young people have been referred to Youth Aid over the matter.

“No one should be subjected to violence or be assaulted in their place of work,” she says.

“We will continue to hold those offenders engaging in retail crime and violent offending to account.”

ENDS.

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

MIL OSI

Police are askng for help from the public in finding an Auckland teenager who has been missing for almost a month.

Awheo, 15, was last seen shortly before 10am on Monday, 13 April in the Northcote area heading towards Glenfield.

He was described by police as being 188cm tall with curly light brown hair and blue eyes and was wearing a black hoodie and black Nike shoes with red detailing.

A police spokesperson said police and Awheo’s family were concerned for his welfare and wanted to find him as soon as possible.

Anyone who had seen Awheo or had any information that could help find him, should call police on 105, quoting file number 260416/3163.

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Police have recovered a body from where a tractor went into the Otututu/Rough River near Ikamatua on the West Coast.

The tractor was found upside down in the river at 10.45am on Friday morning.

The person was found a short time later and is believed to be the only person involved.

Police were asking people to avoid the area while emergency services worked at the scene.

The Buller and Grey districts are under orange heavy rain warnings.

The death will be referred to the Coroner.

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Time was of the essence in Albany after a worker was allegedly assaulted trying to stop a man who hadn’t paid for groceries.

At about 6.30pm, Police were notified of a man who had allegedly attempted to leave the supermarket while concealing a number of items in bags.

Waitematā East acting Area Prevention Manager, acting Inspector CJ Miles, says the staff member approached the man to advise that he had failed to pay for the items.

“The staff member grabbed the bags, however the alleged offender punched the victim before presenting what appeared to be a knife and leaving the area.”

Police responded with urgency  “He was quickly taken into custody and the items were recovered and returned to the store”.

Waitematā East Area Commander, Inspector Aron McKeown, added: “We take matters like this extremely seriously and this arrest highlights Police’s commitment to target and hold these offenders to account.”

If you witness any retail crime, or any other crime, please call 111 if it is happening now.

For any historic offending, please make a report with as much information as possible, either online at https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105 or by calling 105.

Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

A 42-year-old man has been remanded in custody and will appear in North Shore District Court on Monday charged with shoplifting, possession of an offensive weapon and aggravated assault.

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

MIL OSI

MIL OSI

Police are asking for the public’s help finding Awheo, who has been reported missing from the Northcote area.

The 15-year-old was last seen at about 9.50am on Monday 13 April and was heading towards the Glenfield area.

He is described as about 188cm tall with curly light brown hair and blue eyes and was wearing a black hoodie and black Nike shoes with red detailing.

Police and Awheo’s family have concerns for his welfare and would like to find him as soon as possible.

If you have seen Awheo or have any information that might help us locate him, please call 105, quoting file number 260416/3163.

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

MIL OSI

Police are appealing for information following a fatal crash last week in Burnside, Christchurch.

On Monday 27 April, emergency services were called around 10.50pm to the single vehicle crash on Grahams Road.

Sadly, the sole occupant of the vehicle died after being transported to hospital.

Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing and Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the crash or has information that could assist us to please come forward.

We especially would like to speak with a man in a white SUV, who initially stopped when the crash occurred but left prior to emergency services arrival.

Information can be provided through 105, either online or over the phone, referencing file number 260428/3012.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

A van driver has been seriously injured in a crash with a train north of Kaikōura on Friday.

Emergency services were called to the crash between Hapuku and Waipapa Bay shortly before 10am.

Firefighters helped to free the person from their van.

A local resident said she saw a courier van on the railway tracks that looked like it had been torn apart.

Police said State Highway 1 was open but there could be delays.

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A Whakatāne man and his cat were sleeping in their campervan when they were woken by a person getting into the driver’s seat and driving off.

His shouts at the driver to get out were ignored and he phoned police as he and his cat involuntarily headed east, towards Ōhope.

Acting Eastern Bay of Plenty area commander Inspector Phil Gillbanks said it was a dangerous situation and the 111 call taker kept the man calm.

“He didn’t have a seatbelt, so the call taker worked with him to find the most stable place to keep him safe. In this case, that meant he sat on the bed and held onto the sink. It’s not ideal, but it was the least worst choice available.”

Gillbanks said the man’s safety was the biggest concern.

Police followed from a distance until the campervan came to a stop on Wainui Rd, just south of Ohiwa Harbour.

“If there’s one piece of advice we can give people, it’s to make sure your vehicle is fully secure, regardless of whether you’re staying in it or not.

“But I want to acknowledge the victim for keeping a cool head through all of this – waking up to find your camper moving would be unsettling to say the least.”

A 28 year-old Whakatāne woman is in custody and is due back in court next month.

The man and his cat were unharmed.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

A Bay of Plenty resident had a rude wake-up this week, when his camper was stolen while he and his cat were asleep inside.

The incident began unfolding about 8.50pm on Wednesday, near Seaview Road in Whakatāne when a person unlawfully entered a camper that was parked out by the heads. However, much to the surprise of the alleged thief, they had passengers.

Woken by the activity up front, the man told the uninvited guest to get out, but instead of listening, the person drove off in the camper, with both man and moggie still in the rear sleeper section. He called Police immediately and units closed in as the camper headed east towards Ōhope. The Police call taker stayed on the line, keeping the man calm and using his information to update responding officers.

Acting Eastern Bay of Plenty Area Commander Inspector Phil Gillbanks says it was a dangerous situation, and a considered plan was implemented.

“Our main concern was the welfare of the person in the back, and in cases like this, planning is everything. His wellbeing would have been front and centre of our officers’ minds as they looked at how to safely stop the vehicle.

“It really was great teamwork between the victim and the call taker, through to the dispatcher and the units on the ground. Everyone was working together to bring this to a safe conclusion.”

Police monitored the vehicle from a distance before it came to a stop on Wainui Road, believed to be due to a mechanical issue caused by the alleged thief’s dangerous driving, Inspector Gillbanks says. 

Through all of that, the call taker kept talking to the man.

“He didn’t have a seatbelt, so the call taker worked with him to find the most stable place to keep him safe. In this case, that meant he sat on the bed and held onto the sink. It’s not ideal, but it was the least worst choice available.”

The camper came to a stop just before the State Highway 2 roundabout and the driver was taken into custody about 9.10pm. Thankfully, the man and his cat were unharmed.

A 28-year-old Whakatāne woman has been charged with failing to stop and unlawfully taking a motor vehicle. She appeared in Whakatāne District Court on 7 May and was remanded in custody to reappear on 10 June.

“If there’s one piece of advice we can give people, it’s to make sure your vehicle is fully secure, regardless of whether you’re staying in it or not. But I want to acknowledge the victim for keeping a cool head through all of this – waking up to find your camper moving would be unsettling to say the least.”

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

Is New Zealand about to get its own version of a law that caused uproar in New South Wales, clashes in Sydney’s streets and that has now been thrown out?

The Law Society here is worried the Policing Amendment Bill which is making its way through Parliament with strong police backing will clamp down on political protest.

“It’s a clear parallel,” said Timothy Roberts, president of the New South Wales Council of Civil Liberties.

There is evidence behind the concern – the Independent Police Conduct Authority last year found police exhibited a lot of uncertainty and inconsistency about the limits of lawful protest and what the restrictions should be, and called for explicit laws to protect protesters’ rights.

But the government on Wednesday said: “Our police have a strong, long-standing track record of upholding civil liberties and human rights.”

Last month New South Wales’ top court threw out a law enacted after the Bondi Beach terror attack.

The public assembly restriction declaration or PARD scheme expanded police powers to restrict protests in certain areas.

In such a zone in Sydney in February, police clashed with people protesting the visit of Israel’s president.

The city’s mayor Clover Moore said, “Seeing the unrestrained force used to impose those demarcations was disturbing.”

Roberts said the new law had a lot to do with it.

“The police were completely inflexible. So they could have released the crowd to march on from the area peaceably. But because of the political pressure, the legislative framework, they didn’t.

“And that inflexibility led to some really serious violence,” Roberts told RNZ.

Like Roberts, Samantha Lee saw parallels between the PARD and the New Zealand bill. Lee is assistant principal lawyer at Redfern Legal Centre which is working to get criminal charges against Sydney protesters dismissed.

“What the court found is that this executive power is a breach of the constitution in terms of the political freedom of communication and that what it was really doing is stopping the right to protest,” Lee said.

“Protesting has a long history in Australia, as it does there in New Zealand. And the court did say a lot about that, that police should not remove a person’s ability to bring governments to account, even if they’re protesting against against matters that the police don’t like,” Lee said.

The NSW law was rushed in. The New Zealand bill was hurriedly drafted without public consultation.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell said he was open to feedback on any bill, “which is exactly why it goes through the select committee process so New Zealanders can have their say and ensure that it’s fit for purpose”.

The bill’s first part would expand police intelligence-gathering powers; its second part would expand their powers to declare areas off-limits ahead of time in case of imminent public disorder. It would extend the power beyond roads to many public places, and add an instant $1000 infringement fee for someone who entered or did not leave a zone, plus adding a new offence of failing to give police identifying details.

Most reporting has focused on the first part.

The Law Society is pushing the select committee to amend both parts of the bill.

“The difficulties in enforcement and the desirability of ‘closing’ a space are acknowledged, as is the prospect that disturbances may involve other areas (parks etc, other public spaces such as river beds) which are not roads,” it said.

“Against this, however, there are also valid concerns regarding the risks of undue expansion, in that political protests involving disorder may lead to closure of roads and accessible places, and thus prohibitions on entry and potential arrests.”

The bill made “vague” references to “public safety objectives” that could trigger closure, risking “creep in their use into the field of legitimate protest”, the society said.

Paul Rishworth KC helped write its submission.

“It needs to be reconsidered as to how it all applies to public protest,” Rishworth said.

“An example would be that if a protest of some sort is happening or is planned for the following day, and there is either actual counter-protest or the threat of counter-protest, that might be seen as producing disorder or likely to produce disorder, then that might be a reason for closing it down.”

There were existing powers police had to deal with boy racers, he added.

The bill was not a direct parallel with PARD but was in the same universe, and at the very least should be amended to require regular reporting back by police on how they were using the new powers, Rishworth said.

Also, the Law Society wanted preconditions on closures to be added, and the infringement offences removed since the offence of obstruction already existed.

However, Police Association president Steve Watt rejected that part two went too far.

“What it’s aimed to do is increase public safety around those public places where disorder and other events like boy racers might tend to congregate,” said Watt.

“The police are, you know, extremely well-versed when it comes to lawful protests from members of the public.

“I can’t see police using this law as a method of shutting down lawful protests.”

Mitchell said the bill as a whole was about “reinstating police’s ability to lawfully collect and record information to keep communities safe, not introducing new powers”.

“I’ve seen the concerns raised and will consider any sensible changes which improve clarity, but my focus is on restoring the tools police need to keep Kiwis safe.”

Police consulted about part one of the bill with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, but not about part two.

The bill’s regulatory impact statement talked about police working through the issues as they implemented it.

Last year, after a two-year investigation, the Independent Police Conduct Authority found both the law, and police practices and understanding, were lacking around protesters’ rights.

It called for explicit legislation to protect them.

“Without such a legislative regime, the preservation of fundamental rights is likely to come under increasing threat,” it said.

Documents attached to the policing bill did not mention the IPCA investigation. The authority declined to comment while the bill was before Parliament.

The bill sees the IPCA and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner as the main watchdogs over how police used it.

However, the authority recently told MPs it lacked resources, and the Commissioner has put out several statements opposing the bill, saying the level of oversight was inadequate.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

A police recruit asked unsolicited sexual questions of another recruit and showed them pornographic material on his phone while masturbating, the police watchdog has revealed.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) released a summary of a police investigation the Authority oversaw into the recruit on Thursday.

The IPCA said the allegations were that a recruit asked unsolicited sexual questions of another recruit and then showed them pornographic material on his cell phone while masturbating.

“The two recruits were off-duty and alone inside a vehicle parked on the side of a public road, late at night, in the greater Wellington area.”

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

The IPCA said police initially decided against a criminal investigation, saying it was unnecessary and instead began an employment process.

“We asked police to reconsider and undertake a criminal investigation, as the complaint suggested a criminal offence, but they did not.

“Police progressed their employment process for the recruit and upheld the allegations made against him as serious misconduct. The Authority wrote to police stating that while we agreed with their finding and outcome for the employment process, we did not agree with the decision not to undertake a criminal investigation.”

Police then began a criminal investigation into the complaint.

“We oversaw this investigation. Police found there was insufficient evidence to establish a criminal offence. In our view, Police conducted the criminal investigation appropriately and we agree with the conclusion reached.

“During the criminal investigation, police identified another complainant who alleged that the same recruit showed this recruit pornographic material. Police assessed this incident as part of the criminal investigation and found insufficient evidence of criminal offending.”

A further employment process was then carried out and the recruit resigned before it was completed.

“Nonetheless, police concluded their investigation and did not uphold the further allegations.

“Contrary to agreed process, police only informed the Authority of the outcome after police finalised matters with the recruit. We were therefore not provided with an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed police finding.”

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A Police Tactical Dog Team was on the scent of fleeing youths last week, tracking them through Northland bush for over a kilometre.

Just after midnight on 2 May, Police received reports of a group attempting to steal vehicles in Kerikeri and Whangārei.

Northland District Prevention Manager, Inspector Dean Robinson, says the youths were allegedly travelling across the region in a stolen Toyota Aqua while targeting other vehicles.    

“A short time after receiving these reports, a vehicle of interest was observed in Whangārei, and officers signalled for it to stop.

“The driver ignored instructions and began driving dangerously to avoid Police,” he says.  

Due to the manner of driving, Police have not pursued the vehicle.

The vehicle was soon sighted travelling north on Mangakahia Road.

“Spikes were successfully deployed on State Highway 15 near Kaikohe, causing the vehicle to significantly slow,” Inspector Robinson says.

As the vehicle was safely brought to a stop, the five occupants fled.

One male was promptly apprehended, while the other four fled into nearby bush and the Tactical Dog Team (TDT) was deployed to locate them.

“The TDT began tracking the other suspects and identified two males 200 metres from the vehicle.

“Both were located by Delta and arrested,” Inspector Robinson says.

With three of the five in custody, the TDT was redeployed to find the two outstanding occupants.

“The suspects were tracked for 1.3 kilometres, across challenging terrain and over river crossings, before they were located in a farm paddock.

“The pair attempted to flee but were arrested,” Inspector Robinson says.

Senior Sergeant Christian Stainton, Tactical Operations Coordinator, credits this result as a coordinated response between the Tactical Dog Team, Northland Police, and Northern Emergency Communications and Dispatch.

“These five offenders have been actively offending across the Northland district, and if not safely arrested, they would have undoubtedly continued to offend.”

Five males aged 13-17 have been referred to Youth Aid.

ENDS

Frankie Le Roy/NZ Police

MIL OSI

Attributable to Inspector Matenga Gray, Area Commander Manawatu

A man is in court this morning following a Police stop which found him in possession of a pistol, drugs and a large amount of cash.

Just after 11.30pm last night, Police were patrolling on Hobson Street in Feilding and observed a man loading plywood onto a trailer parked on the roadside.

While talking to the man, Police noticed and located a pistol in the driver’s footwell of the vehicle, which resulted in the officers conducting a search.

The male was detained, and police located methamphetamine, drug utensils, ecstasy tablets, and a quantity of cannabis.

A subsequent search of the man located approximately $4,000 in cash strapped to his leg.

The pistol, which was secured in a holster, was later confirmed to be an imitation firearm.

A 42-year-old local man is due in Palmerston North District Court today, charged with unlawfully possess an imitation firearm, possess methamphetamine, possess drug utensils, possess cannabis plant and ecstasy, and fails to carry out obligations in relation to a computer search.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

Police can confirm a 30-year-old man has been arrested and charged in relation to the deaths of Brendon and Trina Cole on Murumuru Road in December 2025.

Detective Inspector Gerard Bouterey says this arrest represents a significant milestone for the investigation team and Police are pleased to have this result for the Brendon and Trina’s families.

“While this is great result, considerable work remains and investigators will continue to pursue all outstanding lines of enquiry.

“We acknowledge that there are members of the public who may have information relevant to this investigation that has not been shared with us.

“We strongly encourage anyone who has information or knowledge of this incident, including the events, movements, or items involved, to contact us if they have not yet done so.”

As part of enquiries, Police have identified that a semi-automatic shotgun should have been at the Murumuru Road address, but this was not located during the initial scene examination or in subsequent searches. Investigators believe the firearm may have been modified, with the end of the barrel cut down.

While Police have not yet located the shotgun, the recovery of this firearm remains a priority.

Police are also in the process of completing a search at the Murumuru Road scene as part of the ongoing investigative work.  This activity is being conducted to ensure all potential evidential opportunities are thoroughly examined as the investigation progresses.

“We want to reassure the community that this investigation is ongoing and remains active.”

“The cooperation shown by the community has been invaluable during our investigation, and we thank them for their support.

“We continue to follow all lines of enquiry and carefully assess information as it is received. We are committed to ensuring the safety of the wider community and at this stage, there is no information to suggest any ongoing risk to the general public.”

The 30-year-old man is due to appear in Whanganui District Court today charged with two counts of murder.

Information can be provided through 105, either online or over the phone, referencing file number 251213/6207 or Operation Murumuru.

Alternatively, you can provide information anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

Surf lifeguards at Auckland’s notoriously dangerous Piha beach have raised questions with police about possible delays in activating rescues at the drowning blackspot.

One spoke up about worries over helicopters being delayed, or the police Eagle chopper coming in place of the better-equipped Westpac rescue one, or a road ambulance being sent instead, if at all.

The questions at the front-line in Piha sparked a meeting seven months ago between Surf Lifesaving New Zealand and police.

Both agencies were insistent to RNZ that they cooperated well and that the meeting was part of how they learn from debriefs.

This has come to light after lifeguard Antony Smith heard RNZ reporting on firefighters and search-and-rescue volunteers having problems with police control over air ambulance helicopters. It seemed to him lifeguards were facing similar problems.

“I volunteer my time to do this. Why are you not giving me the best or why am I having to be concerned?

“One of the things that myself and a few others have observed is what used to be quite a simple workflow … simple communications flow, has become more cumbersome, more procedural, more red tape.”

Smith, a long-time volunteer patrol captain at Piha, said he felt sort of obliged to speak up – his late father Warren Smith helped set up Auckland’s Westpac Rescue Helicopters and is described online as the “glue” that held it together.

“I don’t mind if someone yells at me or tells me I’m wrong,” said his son.

‘Someone could die’

Speaking for himself and not the club, Smith said he welcomed recent changes to improve rescue coordination but hoped he could spur on more.

He first got worried three years ago when he said he couldn’t get an air ambulance helicopter to come for a man suffering an asthma attack on the beach.

His team called it in to Surf Lifesaving’s Surfcom line which linked to Hato Hone St John ambulance which in turn is guided by what police direct.

“He was clearly not getting better with the treatment that we were providing.

“I’m talking back to Surfcom to say, ‘Hey, look, you know, it’s summertime, it’s a busy day, the nearest ambulance is in west Auckland which on a good day is still a 45- to 55-minute drive out. Yeah, we’d really like to have the Westpac helicopter come and pick this guy up’ …

“Unfortunately, I noticed there was a bit of apprehension about that request … We were told, no, they are unavailable. No reason given.”

An ambulance came by road 50 minutes later. The rescue chopper would have shaved valuable time off that, Smith said.

“That 40 minutes didn’t need to happen for both him or his partner.

“And to be fair, my team didn’t need to be put in that situation where they thought someone could die for want of not the best and most quickest asset being sent.”

He said later he asked some crew he knew at Westpac if they’d been too busy to come, but was told no and that that they didn’t hear about the job.

Smith said other colleagues at Piha had subsequently shared similar concerns, and raised them with the club, such as about the trouble communicating with the police Eagle chopper; or the Eagle – designed for crime-spotting but with some rescue capabilities – landing to offer help even though it cannot transport a patient and has way less medical expertise than the Westpac air ambulance/rescue helicopter.

“You do start second guessing, what asset is coming – is it the one that’s going to be able to look at lots of things or is it the one that’s going to be able to help?”

Four other sources familiar with Auckland west coast rescues, anonymously and independently of each other spoke of sometimes confusing, “hit-and-miss” or red tape-heavy approaches by police.

Questions after September 2025 rescue

Northern Rescue, operators of the Auckland Westpac rescue helicopters, told RNZ it was “aware that questions have been raised regarding the coordination and response to West Coast beaches”.

Those questions reached Surf Lifesaving’s operations team after a rescue seven months ago.

“After a rescue operation at Piha on 21 September 2025, the SLSNZ operations team met with lifeguards … to debrief. In that debrief, lifeguards raised a series of general questions about possible delays in activation on the west coast,” the organisation told RNZ.

In the September rescue, two swimmers had inhaled water and were brought to shore after 3pm.

The police log showed they and St John twice asked each other if a chopper was needed but none was sent, and instead half an hour later, an ambulance arrived by road.

Surf Lifesaving raised the lifeguard’s questions with police – the Tamaki Makaurau Police Maritime Unit – and they met at police’s instigation.

‘Surf Lifesaving New Zealand staff were encouraged to speak’ up – police

That meeting in November before the busy summer season came up with 10 pointers to help with shared operations – such as about what comms channels to use to talk from beach-to-chopper – that was circulated to lifeguards. United North Piha, and Karekare clubs were invited but in the event two members of Piha and the northern region ops manager met police.

“If it feels like there has been a delay on either side, let’s make sure we look into this straight away,” one pointer said.

Police said they took issues raised about the effectiveness of their partnerships seriously.

Surf Lifesaving stressed to RNZ how strong its cooperation with police was. “We have had a couple of great multi-agency training exercises recently, one in Tekapo and one in Bay of Islands.”

Smith said it was good to see them being proactive.

Police said since the November meeting no further concerns had been raised.

Piha club would not talk to RNZ. Its volunteers do up to 150 lifesaving rescues a year.

The Auckland region has the highest number of fatal drownings.

Surf Lifesaving estimated it had saved over 9000 lives in the last decade nationwide. Its Surfcom line got real-time information from patrols to find out what was going on and let other agencies know.

“Piha is a hot spot for rescues and medical incidents and, like in other remote coastal locations, there can be delays. We work closely with all agencies to ensure the safest outcome,” its national search-and-rescue manager Matt Cairns said.

‘A misunderstanding’

Matthew Williams was chief executive of Surf Lifesaving’s northern region, covering the Auckland western beaches, for nine years up till October 2023.

He said he had his ear close to the ground and nothing was ever raised with him about chopper delays, and in fact police had really developed, adding more rescue capabilities to complement the Westpac choppers.

But on the other hand with 16,000 lifesaving volunteers on the ground, sometimes it might look like there were delays.

“While I was in the role of working in the search and rescue sector, there was often conversations about one party on the ground not believing they had access to the assets that they required, but often a very good reason for why that was – about other things that may have been going on or protocols or processes,” Williams said.

“And often it may have come down to a misunderstanding.”

The core question was if the systems that had evolved to support command-and-control – such as of police – also served the rescue coalface or needed to change, Williams said.

All the input RNZ has had on its series of reports on problem rescues had emphasised the job was getting more complex; it is clear from documents that systems such as for incident management reporting have struggled to keep up.

Northern Rescue said: “As with any complex emergency response environment, there are always opportunities to strengthen how agencies work together in the interests of patients and the wider community.”

Nationally, the whole system for coordinating search and rescue helicopters and planes has now begun to be overhauled and is aimed at Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre taking more of a front-seat compared to police, who still insisted they expected to manage 2000 operations a year.

St John was approached for comment.

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A body had been found in the water near a remote Sottish island where a New Zealand monk disappeared last month.

Justin Evans, 24, went missing from the Golgotha Monastery, on Papa Stronsay, shortly before midnight on April 11. The island is home to only a handful of monks of the Catholic order Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer.

Also known as the Transalpine Redemptorists, the group was founded in the 1980s and had links to New Zealand, including a monastery near Geraldine.

Do you know more? Email melanie.earley@rnz.co.nz

Police Scotland said the body was found just before 7.30am on Wednesday in the water near Stronsay, the closest island to Papa Stronsay.

The body was yet to be formally identified, police said, but Evans family, who were from Christchurch, had been informed.

The death was being treated as “unexplained”, police said, and an investigation was ongoing.

It said a report would be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal (a public prosecutor in Scotland).

The founder of the monastery, Father Michael Mary, earlier told RNZ it was believed Evans was suffering from “long-term hypothermia”.

He called the situtation “utterly tragic”.

Mary said Evans went by the name Brother Iganatius Maria while at the monastery and had lived there for about two years.

“We are a close community and this has hit us all very hard and is deeply hurting. We hope to find him and hope that the sea will give him up soon.”

Evans had three brothers who were all monks, Mary said, and two of them also lived on the island which at the 2022 Census had a population of just nine.

“Brother’s family are in New Zealand which only adds to the pain of loss and separation.

“This is our biggest tragedy since our arrival here in 1999,” Mary said.

A spokesperson for the order in New Zealand, also known as the Transalpine Redemptorists, said everyone in the order knew and loved Evans dearly.

“Our hearts are completely broken with the loss of this beautiful man. He loved being part of the religious family and probably would have become a priest.”

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Police are assessing their media and communications team including whether it’s “resourced in the right places”.

It comes as police review the processes around the management of a Tom Phillips documentary.

In response to questions from RNZ, police’s executive director media and communications Cas Carter confirmed the media and communications team had been “assessing the way it operates to ensure we are set up in a way that is effective for the future”.

“We are reviewing how we operate which includes if we are resourced in the right places. Any proposed redesign will be shared with the team first for their feedback.”

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

Carter said it had been eight years since the operating model had been reviewed.

“In that time there have been many changes in communication through digital transformation, shifting stakeholder expectations, changes in media and the proliferation of misinformation.”

Carter said the assessment and review of the media and communications operating model was not related to the review into how police managed media and communications engagement in relation to the Phillips documentary.

Last month, RNZ obtained a series of documents released by police under the Official Information Act in relation to the Phillips documentary.

The OIA revealed that police’s director of media and strategic communications Juli Clausen messaged Dame Julie Christie, the chief executive of a documentary production company, while on board a flight to Hamilton to give her a “heads up” that Phillips had been shot.

Following the release Carter said police were reviewing the processes around the management of the documentary.

On Wednesday, Carter said the review was underway.

“To be clear, this is a learning focused review to better understand how decisions were made and what lessons can be taken forward to strengthen our media handling in future complex or high profile investigations.

“It is intended to provide assurance to police leadership and to identify any improvements needed to ensure our settings are fit for purpose going forward. It is not directed at individuals.”

Carter earlier said in a statement the goal had “always been to give audiences an ‘inside view’ of Operation Curly in a way that ensures the young people involved are protected”.

“It has become apparent that the media were not served well, as should be expected.

“Police is [sic] now reviewing the processes around the management of this documentary, and considering whether we need to reassess the protocols for handling such projects.

“Police has a long history of cooperating on documentaries or programmes involving ongoing investigations. They offer unique and interesting insights into police work and into the investigation in question.”

Police wanted to be certain they had robust processes in place to ensure they were handled “well and fairly”.

Asked about what confidence she had in Clausen she replied:

“That’s part of the review as well. That’s one of the many things that we’re looking at, at the moment.”

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers earlier said the information that had come to light had raised questions about how the documentary project was handled by police.

“There was a constructive relationship between police and the documentary team.

“However, it has become apparent this documentary was not always handled in line with the usual protocols and processes that apply to documentaries police take part in.

“That included decision-making and oversight around the access the documentary crew were given at various points.”

Chambers said he would not have allowed access to an active crime scene and had not been aware that was happening ahead of time.

“Had I known it was to happen, I would have stopped that.

“I am also disappointed the documentary team was told ahead of the family and of other media about the events of the night Tom Phillips died.”

Chambers said he had asked for further information to be sure it was “handled appropriately at all stages and to allow us to consider whether police need to reassess the way we engage in such projects”.

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