Category: MIL-OSI

Source: New Zealand Police

An investigation into a stolen Bentley has led North Shore Police to recover almost half a dozen stolen vehicles and a shotgun.

Waitematā East’s Tactical Crime Unit began investigating a burglary on the North Shore in the early hours of 1 December.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Williams says a luxury Bentley Bentayga SUV was stolen during a burglary.

“In the early hours, an unknown person entered a house taking the keys to the Bentley and driving away in the SUV,” he says.

“Inside the vehicle were a range of valuable items including a handbag and bank cards.”

An investigation began, which led Police to an address in Glen Eden last week.

“Police searched the property, locating four other stolen vehicles on site,” Detective Senior Sergeant Williams says.

“Concerningly, a loaded shotgun was found hidden underneath a bed where a young boy was sleeping.”

Police seized the firearm and arrested a 31-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman.

Both have been charged with dishonesty charges relating to the alleged use of stolen credit cards, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

No Bentley was located at the property, but enquiries continued and eventually led Police to Huia late last week.

Detective Senior Sergeant Williams says the Bentley was located and recovered.

“This is a fantastic result with several investigation teams from the North Shore and West Auckland working together, recovering vehicles and a firearm.

“Police are continuing to investigate the initial burglary and theft and we cannot rule out further arrests being made.”

The pair arrested in Glen Eden have appeared before the Waitākere District Court and will reappear in March next year.

ENDS.

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries

Source: NZ Department of Conservation

Date:  22 December 2025

On 11 December a fire broke out in the 12-bunk hut which provides a critical link on the Matemateāonga Track. The fire razed the hut completely. No-one was in the hut at the time, and the fire did not extend to the surrounding forest.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand investigators were unable to determine a cause, but have ruled out the wood burner, gas bottle and cooker. Visitors who had left the hut in the morning saw no signs of fire.

DOC Principal Ranger Heritage and Visitors Joshua Kilmister says the fire presents a reminder to practice safe fire management this summer.

“We don’t know exactly what caused this fire, but with the dry conditions we’re experiencing, it’s a reminder to all of us to be careful storing fuel, disposing of ashes, and using fire.

“This is also a perfect time to check any charging equipment, batteries and power banks you travel with to ensure they are in good, safe condition.”

Fire and Emergency New Zealand cautions damaged or incorrectly used batteries can pose a fire risk both at home and when travelling.

Joshua says Pouri Hut, built in the 1970s, was critical for biodiversity work in Whanganui National Park and its loss will be felt.

“We’ll be working with partners in the New Year to see how we can replace this. We’re a bit gutted to be honest, especially after the work Backcountry Trust has put in to support us with this hut.

Backcountry Trust Manager Rob Brown says he’s always disappointed to see this sort of thing happen.

“The Backcountry Trust, along with other groups like the Greater Wellington Backcountry Network, have put a lot of time and effort into the Matemateāonga Track in the last few years, and I really feel for the DOC team as well – we’ve all been quite invested in this special part of Whanganui National Park,” says Rob.

“Hopefully we’ll find a way forward in the new year, we’re always ready to play our part for ensuring these places are maintained for future generations.”

Any visitors planning on naturing in the area should bring their own shelter and water, as these are not currently available at Pouri Hut.

Contact

Source: New Zealand Police

Police have arrested one person while investigating a complaint from the member of the public that sighted a vehicle repeatedly crossing the centre line heading from Gore to Te Anau.

Around 7.30am on Sunday 21 December, Police signalled the vehicle in question to pull over on Main Street in Gore.

A strong smell of alcohol, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech greeted officers when they walked up to the driver.

Breath testing procedures revealed the driver was almost four times the legal limit, driving visibly and completely impaired after leaving a hen’s do with little sleep.

A 38-year-old woman is due to appear in Gore District Court on 21 January 2026 and has been issued with a 28-day driving suspension notice.

Acting Senior Sergeant Christopher Rigby said that Police was disappointed to see poor choices being made when people are drinking then driving.

“The driver was seen driving erratically and its incredible that no one was hurt on the road.

“We always encourage people to sort sober drivers, rideshare or taxi if they have plans to drink. There’s no excuse to drinking and driving,” said Senior Sergeant Rigby.

If you see dangerous driving, call Police immediately on 111.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health

Source: New Zealand Police

Emergency services are responding to a report of a person missing in the water near Waikawau boat ramp.

Police were called about 9.45am after someone was reported to be in difficulty in the water off the Thames Coast Road.

One person had made it safely to shore and raised the alarm that a second party was still in the water.

Police, including Police Eagle, Coastguard Howick and Auckland Coastguard Air Patrol, and Fire and Emergency New Zealand have responded.

The second person has not been located at this stage and the search is ongoing.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

Source: New Zealand Police

Police are seeking witnesses to a crash on Cheyne Road, Pyes Pa, Tauranga, last week.

Police were called to the crash, where a pedestrian has been struck by a vehicle, around 11.10am on Thursday 18 December.

The pedestrian was transported to hospital by ambulance in a serious condition.

Police understand the crash occurred around 10.30am and are asking for anyone who may have witnessed this, or has any information about the incident, to please contact Police.

Information can be provided through 105, either online or over the phone. Please use reference number: P064829344.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

The State Highway 57/Tararua Road roundabout construction is now complete – providing a safer intersection and preparing for future growth in the region.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and Horowhenua District Council (HDC) have worked together to build the new roundabout.

NZTA Regional Manager for Infrastructure Delivery Rob Partridge says that working with HDC was essential to delivering a solution that supports the existing and future needs of the intersection.

“The roundabout improves safety straight away, while also supporting future growth in the area. By working closely with HDC, we’ve delivered an intersection that aligns with council’s long-term plans and forms an important link to the new Ōtaki to north of Levin expressway and Tara-Ika growth area.”

The roundabout has been under construction since January this year.

“We’d like to thank the community for their continued support and patience throughout construction.

This area will get busier as construction ramps up on the Ōtaki to north of Levin expressway.”

The project also includes pathways and formal crossings, providing a safer connection for pedestrians and cyclists, new lighting and landscaping, as well as upgrades to the Electra and Chorus services.

Horowhenua Mayor Bernie Wanden says ss well as making a previously dangerous intersection much safer, council staff took the opportunity to upgrade the local watermain, minimising disruption later down the line.

“This is a real investment in the future of our district.”

Delivered on schedule, the completion of the new roundabout means holiday makers and the local community won’t be disrupted by traffic management.

The intersection looks a lot different from a year ago, and a huge amount of mahi has gone into delivering the roundabout and associated works.

Key figures

• 36,500 tonnes of earth has been moved
• 360 cubic metres of concrete has been poured
• 5,000 tonnes of structural asphalt and 1200 tonnes of surfacing SMA has been laid
• 563 metres of watermain pipe has been laid
• 3,400 plants and 5 trees have been planted.

Source: New Zealand Police

Operation Diablo has led to the arrest of eight people and the seizure of drugs, firearms and cash from multiple addresses across Southland last week.

Organised criminal groups received pre-Christmas visits as Police executed 12 search warrants at properties and vehicles in and around Invercargill.

The operation was led by Southland’s Organised Crime Group and Criminal Investigation Branch, with support from specialist teams including a Drug Detection Dog unit. Police targeted gang-related drug offending as part of the crackdown.

Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Baird says the social harm caused by the sale and supply of illicit drugs is significant.

“Gang members facilitating this don’t care about the damage they cause,” says Detective Baird.

“We will continue to find and prosecute those who think this sort of criminal activity is acceptable.”

During Operation Diablo, Police seized:

• Over 32 grams of methamphetamine
• Various quantities of cannabis
• Firearms and ammunition
• More than $3,000 in cash
• Multiple electronic devices.

“It’s about preventing harm,” Detective Baird adds. “People deserve to live, work and play in our communities without these negative influences ruining their plans.”

Police have arrested five men and three women that have appeared in the Invercargill District Court. Charges include possession for supply of class A and class drugs, unlawful possession of a firearm and threatening behaviour.

Police continue to investigate. Further charges and arrests have not been ruled out.

Members of the public are urged to report any concerns or information about illegal drug supply or criminal activity.

• Call 105 or 111 if it’s happening now
• Provide information anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

Source: Privacy Commissioner

This information sets out how our Compliance and Enforcement team triages systemic privacy issues raised with our Office. 

	Privacy breach	Interference with a person’s privacy
	A privacy breach under Part 6 of the Privacy Act 2020 focuses on whether there has been any unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure of personal information.  A notifiable privacy breach occurs when the breach has, or has the likelihood, to cause serious harm to the people whose personal information has been impacted. This requires notification to the individuals impacted and to OPC.	Part 5 of the Privacy Act sets out how OPC will deal with a complaint from an individual about an interference with their privacy.  This usually involves the breach of an information privacy principle and may require you to have suffered harm. These complaints, including about getting access to or correcting your own information, are dealt with separately by our Investigations and Dispute Resolution team.  Read more about that process.
Which OPC team is involved?	Our Compliance and Enforcement team deal with notifiable privacy breaches and systematic privacy issues raised with our Office.	Our Investigations and Dispute Resolution team deals with an individual’s complaint about their own privacy rights.
What if my case is both types of issue?	Although the two things can be related, they are separate, and decisions we make about how to respond to a privacy breach notification or other systemic issue does not prevent us from investigating a complaint from an individual about the same issue.
For example	The Compliance and Enforcement team may assess that we do not need to take any enforcement action on a privacy breach notified to OPC.	The Investigations and Dispute Resolution team may still decide to investigate an individual’s complaint that there was an interference with their privacy.

Step one: we receive a concern or enquiry about the way an organisation is handling personal information

For example: 
“Dear OPC. I am concerned that ABC Limited is breaching the Privacy Act because their website is disclosing sensitive personal information. Please investigate it.”

An enquiry like this will be managed by the Compliance and Enforcement team. 

If your enquiry said that you were concerned that the website was disclosing information about you personally, this would be dealt with by OPC’s Investigations and Dispute Resolution team.

Protected disclosures

If you raise a serious concern about your own workplace, you may be able to make a protected disclosure under the Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act. 

Step two: Deciding how to address a concern 

The Compliance and Enforcement team assesses each concern under OPC’s Compliance and Regulatory Action Framework. This sets out how we prioritise to deliver the best privacy outcomes for the greatest public benefit with the resources we have available. 

The Framework sets out the factors that we consider when deciding how to address a complaint or enquiry. These include:

• The nature and seriousness of a privacy issue, or potential impact including:
  • the harm caused, or likely to be caused, to the affected people
  • whether the matter involves sensitive information
  • the number of people potentially affected
  • whether disadvantaged, vulnerable, or a particular group of individuals may be adversely affected
  • whether there is an indication of a systemic issue, for example across a particular agency or sector.
• the level of public interest, or the educational or deterrent value of taking action
• the attitude and conduct of the agency concerned, including previous compliance
• statutory factors under the Privacy Act (the Act), including the requirement to take cultural perspectives into account
• the proportionality and appropriateness of taking regulatory action by investigating or making initial enquiries
• any other factors that OPC considers relevant in the circumstances.

Notifiable privacy breaches 

Alongside the Compliance and Regulatory Action Framework, we may consider whether there was a privacy breach that should have been notified to us. As part of that, we consider the if the agency has reasonably assessed the likelihood of serious harm. The factors an agency must consider when assessing whether the breach is likely to have caused serious harm are set out in section 113 of the Act.

Types of serious harm include emotional and psychological harm, financial harm (including fraud), physical harm or intimidation and identity theft. 

Why we may not take any action 

We cannot address or investigate every complaint or concern received. The varied nature of factors at play may mean that similar issues have different levels of privacy risk and result in different decisions by our team. 

Some of the reasons we may not take any action include:

• there is no evidence of serious harm occurring or being likely
• there is no sensitive personal information at risk
• the cause of the concern has already been resolved or contained
• the issue lies outside the scope of the Privacy Act e.g. commercial information or code of conduct issues. 

Step three: Letting you know what we’re doing 

If we think that your issue is better addressed by the Investigations and Dispute Resolution team, we will refer it to them to assess. You will hear from either team about the outcome of your enquiry. 

We may seek more information from you, such as finding out how you became aware of the issue, and any documented evidence you might have.

We will tell you whether the Compliance and Enforcement team is going to formally review the concerns raised, or if we are not intending to take any action based on the information provided. We can’t tell you what that action will be, won’t provide you with updates about this and are unlikely to let you know about any outcomes of our work. 

This is because section 206 of the Act requires us maintain secrecy about all matters that come to our knowledge as part of our work. We sometimes make public comments about the outcome our investigations, but we do not provide comments or information to others.  

Step four: Further action and outcomes

If we decide further action is warranted, we may make initial enquiries with the agency involved. For example, we might ask if they are aware of the issue raised and what they have done in response. Our early information requests are made on a voluntary basis as we aim to work alongside the agency to understand the issues of concern. 

We may also use other sources such as publicly available information and media releases. 

Our initial information gathering will inform our assessment of the issue and guide our next steps which may include:

• working with the agency to provide education and guidance on their specific issue
• issuing general guidance on our website aimed at a specific sector or common issue
• commencing a formal investigation or inquiry.

Whichever action we decide to take, we aim to ensure that the privacy practices at the agency are improved to the point that the personal information it holds is adequately protected for the future.

We may initiate a formal investigation or inquiry where we consider there may be systemic issues occurring within an agency or sector, or the matter has failed to be resolved through lower-level interventions. These investigations also engage the Privacy Commissioner’s powers to require information to be provided and to summons individuals and question them under oath.

Sometimes these investigations or inquiries result in the publication of a report, a compliance notice being issued or public comment being made about the agency and the issue considered in a media statement or decision note. Any public comment we make about a specific agency is made in line with OPC’s Naming Policy. These outcomes are intended to provide lessons learned across sectors and agencies, not just to the agency involved in the investigation. 

Download a copy of this information (opens to PDF, 277KB).