Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: New Zealand Police

Attributable to Detective Senior Sergeant Brett Humphrey:

Police investigating a missing person’s report in Whanganui are seeking sightings of a vehicle of interest.

Kahukura Dilpreet Wati Woods Gill, known as Kahu, was last seen in the Matahiwi area on Friday 27 June 2025, and he is believed to have been using a white 2002 Mazda Atenza saloon, registration EQR994.

He remains missing, and active enquiries are ongoing to determine his last known movements.

As part of these, Police are seeking sightings of Mr Gill and this white car in the Whanganui/Rangitikei areas between Friday 27 June and Tuesday 1 July.

If you can help, please call 105 or go online to 105.police.govt.nz, using “Update Report,” quoting reference number 250702/3842. 

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

Source: New Zealand Police

A dodgy number plate ended one man’s run in evading his warrants to arrest.

It was part of a successful night for Police in Flat Bush after nabbing two offenders for a range of incidents.

Counties Manukau East Area Prevention Manager, Inspector Rakana Cook, says at about 1am a vehicle was stopped on Hamill Road.

“Officers noticed the number plate had been tampered with and upon speaking to the driver identified him as a wanted person.

“The man had been wanted by Police since September in relation to a number of alleged offences so it was great work by staff to arrest him and hold him to account for those offences.”

A 35-year-old man has been remanded in custody and will reappear on 11 July charged with possession of drug utensils and driving while forbidden.

Thirty minutes earlier, officers had stopped a vehicle travelling on Flat Bush School Road.

Inspector Cook says the driver was identified and found to be in breach of his bail conditions.

“A search of the vehicle also located a head torch and tools.

“A 28-year-old man was arrested for breaching bail and driving related offences.”

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

Source: New Zealand Police

Police have arrested and charged a man following an assault in Whangārei overnight.

An allegation of assault on Walton Street has been under investigation, after a woman approached the Whangārei Police Station at about 1.30am.

Detective Senior Sergeant Michelle Harris, of Whangārei CIB, says an 18-year-old man has been charged with assault with a weapon.

“Police are still investigating this incident, other charges are pending and we are not seeking anyone else,” she says.

“The parties were known to each other and there is no wider risk to the community.”

At the time the woman was transported to hospital and treated for moderate injuries. She has since been released.

“Our investigation began in the early hours of this morning,” Detective Senior Sergeant Harris says. 

“The enquiry team has worked closely with the complainant and is very pleased with progress so far.”

Enquiries are continuing. 

The 18-year-old man will appear in the Whangārei District Court on 5 July.

Anyone with information that could assist Police is asked to update us online now or call 105.

Please use the reference number 250704/0640.

ENDS.

Nicole Bremner/NZ Police

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

A stretch of State Highway 2 Hawke’s Bay Expressway will be closing overnight for 5 nights early next month.

The closures will allow road surface testing to be carried out as part of the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS) project.

The expressway, between the Taradale Road and Pākōwhai Road/Links Road roundabouts, will be closed each night between Sunday 3 August and Friday 8 August. The road will close each night at 8pm and reopen at 5am the following morning. The work will be finished by 5am Friday 8 August.

Work will be completed in sections – one section and one direction each night:

• On Sunday night, the work will focus on Taradale Road roundabout to Meeanee overbridge – the northbound lane will remain open
• On Monday night, the work will focus on Meeanee overbridge to Taradale Road roundabout – the southbound lane will remain open
• On Tuesday night, the work will focus on Meanee overbridge to Pākōwhai Road/Links Road roundabout – the northbound lane will remain open
• On Wednesday night, the work will focus on Pākōwhai Road/Links Road roundabout to Meeanee overbridge – the southbound lane will remain open

The 5th night – Thursday – is an extra night only if needed.

During the closures, detours will be in place:

• When the closure is Meeanee Rd to Pākōwhai Rd, the detour in place is for all vehicles up to 50MAX. The detour is: Pākōwhai Road to Te Ara Kahikatea, onto State Highway 51, to Awatoto Road then onto Meeanee Road (and reverse). This detour is not suitable for HMPV (that are not 50MAX permitted vehicles). A reminder that Redclyffe Bridge through Waiohiki has an 8 tonne weight restriction.
• When the closure is between Meeanee Rd to Taradale Rd, the detour is NOT via SH51 but via Taradale Road, Kennedy Road, Gloucester Street, onto Lee Road and onto Meeanee Road.

Detour maps

NZTA will also take the opportunity to carry out other maintenance activities during the closures.

About the road surface testing

During the overnight closures, project crews will using a piece of equipment to carry out Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) testing, to test the road surface.

This testing involves dropping a weight onto the surface of the road at various points along the road and measuring what, if any, deflection (bending) of the road is caused by the testing.

Hawke’s Bay Expressway Principal Project Manager Jacob Laird says this simulates the effect of a passing vehicle and helps assess how well the road surface can support traffic loads.

“The detailed design for section 1 of the expressway project is proposing to use the same type of low-noise surfacing for both the two existing lanes and the two new lanes.

“We’re essentially applying the new surface directly over the existing road surface on the current lanes. The testing is simply to confirm whether the existing road surface is strong enough to support the new surface layer. In areas where it’s not, we will focus on renewing those sections of road to ensure they will  support the new surface.

“FWD testing is really common on projects like this and is a crucial step in the planning process.

“We appreciate that these closures are likely to cause some disruption and we hope that by doing the testing at night when traffic volumes are lower, together with clear detours, that disruption will be minimised,” says Mr Laird.

Source: New Zealand Government

Infrastructure, Transport and Housing Minister Chris Bishop will travel to New York and Texas tomorrow for a range of meetings across housing, planning, urban development and transport, including a keynote speech at the Urban Design Forum’s Global Exchange Programme.

“In New York I will be holding a series of meetings with city officials and other stakeholders about their introduction of congestion pricing. The early results for New York are very promising, and with legislation allowing time of use charging schemes in New Zealand soon to report back from select committee, I look forward to bringing home lessons learned to ensure our scheme is a success from the start,” Mr Bishop says.

“While in New York, I will meet with Professor Edward Glaeser, a leading global expert on urban economics, to discuss how governments can support affordable, thriving, and productive cities. I will also deliver a keynote speech at the Urban Design Forum’s Global Exchange Programme, highlighting the Coalition Government’s efforts to create a well-functioning urban land and housing system. The Forum is a network of over 1,000 civic leaders committed to making New York a better place to live – a goal I strongly share for New Zealand.

“I will also spend a couple of days in Houston, Texas, the home of affordable housing in the United States. My engagements will focus on conversations with government agencies and local experts about their planning system and funding and financing tools which have seen the city make significant gains in delivering affordable housing.

“The Government’s ‘Going for Housing Growth’ policy draws lessons from the flexible land markets enabled by a liberal planning system in jurisdictions like Texas and I am looking forward to discussing this with local experts.”

Mr Bishop departs for the United States on Saturday 5 July and will return on Sunday 13 July.

Source: New Zealand Police

Counties Manukau Police nabbed four prolific shoplifters after allegedly racking up more than $17,000 in unpaid groceries.

Earlier this week Police arrested a 54-year-old man from Manurewa after he was identified as a high risk, recidivist retail crime offender.

Counties Manukau Central Area Prevention Manager, Inspector Warrick Adkin, says officers visited the man at home where he was arrested and charged with 12 counts of shoplifting and burglary.

Inspector Adkin says it’s alleged the man has stolen more $10,000 worth of grocery items and other products in the space of just two months.

“His arrest is a great win for retailers and Police as the offender has allegedly been actively targeting retail stores across Counties Manukau District on a daily basis.”

The man has been remanded in custody and will reappear in Manukau District Court on 18 August.

Inspector Adkin says Police also apprehended a further three people in relation to shoplifting and burglary offences throughout the district in the past six months.

“We have charged the trio, who are family members, with a total of 36 charges.

“We will allege the group stole more than $7000 worth of grocery items.

“It’s really pleasing to have brought four people before the court in relation to these crimes and for them to be held accountable for their actions.”

A 54-year-old man was remanded in custody to reappear in Manukau District Court on 22 July facing charges of shoplifting and burglary.

A 53-year-old woman charged with seven counts of shoplifting will appear in Manukau District Court today.

A 20-year-old woman facing 14 charges of shoplifting will reappear in Manukau District Court on 18 July.

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries

New Zealand Food Safety is supporting NZ Drinks Ltd in its recall of Hydr8 Spring Water (600ml x 24) as the product may contain blue plastic.

“The concern with the affected batches of bottled water is that they could contain soft shreds of blue plastic, which could be a choking hazard,” says New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle.

“If you have any Hydr8 Spring Water in the 24-pack of 600ml bottles, with best-before dates of: 10 JUN 27, 11 JUN 27, and 16 JUN 27, don’t drink it. Return it to the place of purchase for a refund. If that’s not possible, throw it out.”

The affected products are sold at selected supermarkets throughout the North Island. They have been removed from store shelves and have not been exported.

Visit New Zealand Food Safety’s recall page for up-to-date information and photographs of the affected product.

Hydr8 brand Spring Water 600ml x 24

New Zealand Food Safety has not received any notifications of associated injury.

“As is our usual practice, New Zealand Food Safety will work with NZ Drinks Ltd to understand how this happened and prevent it happening again,” says Mr Arbuckle.

The vast majority of food sold in New Zealand is safe, but sometimes problems can occur. Help keep yourself and your family safe by subscribing to our recall alerts. Information on how to subscribe is on the New Zealand Food Safety food recall page.

Recalled food products list

For science-backed tips on preparing, cooking and storing food safely at home, download your free booklet here.

Food safety at home [PDF, 1.1 MB]

For more information email: NZFoodSafety_media@mpi.govt.nz

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 00 83 33 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

Source: New Zealand Police

Litres of Fantasy or GBL, pills and other illegal substances ordered through international online sources and imported into New Zealand to be sold in the local Waikato market have been uncovered in a joint operation by Waikato Organised Crime and New Zealand Customs.

Earlier this year, staff at Police and Customs identified a spike in the importation of GBL and 1,4-B (a drug similar to GBL), and an investigation was launched.

On Tuesday, the Waikato Organised Crime Squad, with assistance from Customs, the Armed Offenders Squad, and other Waikato Police staff executed warrants at two residential addresses and two storage facilities.

A total of 4L of 1,4-B, 129 cannabis plants, 1kg of dried cannabis, 100 BZP pills, and ammunition were located across the properties. This follows a previous seizure of 30L of GBL at the border.

A 40-year-old man and 42-year-old woman were arrested and charged with a variety of offences including importing a Fantasy type substance, supplying a Fantasy type substance, supplying methamphetamine, cultivating cannabis and supplying cannabis.

Detective Inspector Daryl Smith of the Waikato Organised Crime Squad warned those who attempted to buy drugs online that Police and Customs are on to them.

“This investigation sends a message to drug dealers shopping online – you can’t hide behind the internet.”

This week’s warrants also showed the value of the partnership between Customs and NZ Police to tackle international crime syndicates and the importation of illegal drugs into New Zealand, he said.

Customs Investigations Manager Dominic Adams said Customs is committed to identifying and disrupting the smuggling of illicit substances into our country.

“This is another great example of the collaborative work between Customs and Police. These arrests have prevented the distribution of harmful drugs into the Waikato, leaving our communities safer as a result.”

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

Source: New Zealand Police

Counties Manukau Police are seeking the public’s help to identify the man in this photo.

We are hoping he can assist with an ongoing enquiry into an altercation near the Burger King in Manukau on the morning of 20 June, and would like to speak with him.

If this is you, or you know who this is, please contact Police via 105 online or by phone and quote file number: 250620/7181.

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

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police 

Source: New Zealand Government

The Royal New Zealand Air Force has established its first dedicated space unit with the reactivation of the No. 62 Squadron today, Defence Minister Judith Collins says.

“This reflects our commitment to protecting New Zealand’s interests and security in the rapidly evolving space domain,” Ms Collins says.

“Space is vital for modern life. We rely on space-based infrastructure for a range of critical services, from weather observation to financial transactions. 

“This is an important signal that we’re taking space security seriously.”

No. 62 Squadron was reactivated at a formal ceremony at RNZAF Base Auckland today. Originally active during World War II, the squadron supported Allied operations through the innovative use of radar technology. Now, its mission shifts to space domain awareness.

“The squadron’s initial focus will be on monitoring, analysing, and understanding space activity to safeguard national and international interests,” Ms Collins says.

“Recent global developments have highlighted the need for resilient, advanced defence capabilities. This move is part of the work the New Zealand Defence Force is doing to maintain a combat-capable, flexible force.”

The reactivation supports the recent Defence Capability Plan which outlined $12 billion of planned commitments to upgrade the Defence Force over the next four years.