Media releases 2025

The Independent Police Conduct Authority investigated complaints concerning the actions of three Police officers, involved in the investigation and subsequent trial of defendants charged with the murder of Mr Palmiro MacDonald.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that Police breached some aspects of Police policy during an incident that resulted in the deaths of two young people after a pursuit near Ōtaki.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that officers breached policy during a fleeing driver incident at Manukau that resulted in a fatal crash.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that a Police officer was unjustified in ramming a man with his patrol car and punching him seven times, after the man used a skateboard to smash the patrol car’s windscreen and window. Both the officer and the man were injured.

 The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that two men in Auckland were wrongfully arrested and that officers used unjustified force against the two men.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that officers in Gisborne failed in their duty of care for a woman who died while in Police cells.

The Authority has been notified by the Police under section 13 of the Independent Police Conduct Authority Act 1988 about an incident involving the death of Mr Faasala Samu Matue at Ōrere Point in Counties Manukau on 2 March 2025.

On Sunday, 13 June 2021, Mr Taranaki Fuimaono died after becoming unresponsive while in the Auckland Police Custody Unit. The Independent Police Conduct Authority conducted an independent investigation into the care Police provided while he was in custody, prior to his death.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority has called for new standalone legislation directed at protecting the rights of protestors while, at the same time, ensuring public order and safety. This report arises from a review undertaken over the last couple of years, after the Authority received 168 complaints about a rally in support of Kelly Minshull (also known as Posie Parker) in Auckland’s Albert Park in March 2023. The review has also been informed by several complaints arising from Police handling of protest activity relating primarily to the situation in Israel and Gaza.