A police motorcycle officer's high-speed pursuit of a rider who crashed and died in Auckland in 2023 was unjustified, the IPCA has found.
In Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) findings released today, chairperson Judge Kenneth Johnston found the pursuit was unjustified and the officer's assessments of the risks were "fundamentally flawed".
The crash happened just before 10.30am on July 13, 2023 when the man, known as Mr Z in the IPCA report, hit a lamp-post on the State Highway 18 Tauhinu Road off-ramp at Greenhithe after being pursued at high speeds for 11km.
The police officer, known as Officer A in the report, was assisting with a checkpoint on Lincoln Rd and Universal Drive in Henderson when he saw the man's red Ducati motorcycle weaving slowly through heavy traffic. Officer A signalled for Mr Z to stop, but he rode onto the motorway, followed by the officer.
Multiple CCTV cameras captured the motorcyclists as they travelled at significantly higher speeds than other traffic on State Highways 16 and 18.
Footage showed the man often rode about 180km/h while the officer, sometimes only 100m behind, rode at speeds of up to 192km/h. Both the man and officer crossed lanes on several occasions and moved very close to other vehicles.
While the officer told the IPCA he decided to abandon the pursuit shortly before the man took an offramp and crashed into the lamppost, there was no indication of this in the footage.
"Mr Z was travelling at an average speed of between 130 to 144km/h as he approached Tauhinu Rd. He braked just prior to the curve, hit a raised traffic island and crashed into a lamp post. Officer A was on the off-ramp, 96 – 98 metres behind Mr Z when he crashed," the report said.
In its findings, the report noted: "Officer A's assessment of the risks posed by the pursuit was fundamentally flawed. He did not comply with police policy, and, in our assessment, he should have abandoned the pursuit soon after entering State Highway 16, given he was unable to communicate with Comms, and the speeds involved in pursuing Mr Z."
"In our assessment, the speed and manner of riding of both Mr Z and Officer A posed a serious risk of injury or death to themselves and other road users. Critically, Mr Z's alleged offending did not justify the risk of continuing to follow Mr Z at high speed," the report said.
According to the IPCA, the officer's assessment of the risks were seriously flawed and he appeared to have overestimated his ability to consider all the necessary risk factors and to make sound decisions.
"As an example, the officer did not tell the Police Communications Centre he was in pursuit and provided no commentary throughout the pursuit because his radio was not working. As well as being a breach of policy, this left his actions unchecked by those tasked with command and control of pursuits," Johnson noted.
"We concluded the officer should have abandoned the pursuit soon after entering State Highway 16 given he was unable to communicate with Police Communications, and the high speeds involved."
The officer was charged and acquitted of dangerous driving causing death. He was convicted of driving a motor vehicle in a dangerous manner and disqualified from driving for six months.
An employment process commenced. In April 2026, near the end of this process, the officer resigned from police.
Johnson said the IPCA "agreed with police’s decision to charge the officer. The officer's actions were dangerous, were in breach of policy, and were a material contributing factor to the crash".
Police acknowledge IPCA findings
In a statement, Acting Superintendent Simon Walker, Relieving Waitematā District Commander acknowledged and accepted the findings of the Independent Police Conduct Authority.
Following the man's death, Walker said police carried out a critical incident investigation into the events that occurred.
"After a thorough investigation, the officer was charged with dangerous driving causing death."
In April 2025, the officer was convicted of driving a motor vehicle in a dangerous manner and disqualified from driving for six months.
"The public rightly expect police staff to exercise sound judgement and uphold the highest standards of conduct while carrying out their duties," Walker said.
"Incidents such as this have a significant impact on all those involved and serve as a reminder of the importance of sound judgement and effective risk assessment in all aspects of policing.”
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