IPCA rules on hunt for missing men

The police search for two men who went missing in Tongariro National Park after fleeing from police has been deemed professional, the Independent Police Conduct Authority says.

Hakopa Ngaronoa 26 – also known as Matiu Ngaronoa – and Vincent Taurima, 21, were involved in a short police pursuit on State Highway 1, south of the Desert Road, on August 12, 2017.

They abandoned the car and ran into Tongariro National Park but became lost and were found dead on September 9, 2017.

An IPCA investigation found the police-led search for the men was in general run competently and professionally with police and volunteers strongly committed to finding the lost men.

On August 12, after the pursuit police, they found the abandoned car and tracked footprints a short way into the bush but did not find anyone.

Overnight the men contacted Taurima’s ex-partner and father who tried to guide them back to the road. Taurima and his father decided not to call police for help.

On August 13, Taurima’s parents alerted police that the men were lost and very cold.

The men themselves made three 111 calls to police later that morning and a search and rescue operation was launched.

Police used cellphone technology to try to determine where one of the emergency calls originated and searched there, but despite hearing voices nearby they did not find the men.

Police and Land Search and Rescue volunteers searched for 13 further days in difficult terrain, thick bush and cold temperatures until the bodies were found.

Members of both wha¯ nau complained to the IPCA about how the search operation was conducted. In particular, they raised concerns that the men’s Ma¯ ori ethnicity and the gang connections of one of the men meant police overstated risks and did not put full effort and resources into the search.

However, the IPCA said they did not find any evidence to support these concerns.

They did find some oversights and missed opportunities during the early stages of the police response.

The on-call Search and Rescue officer should have been consulted on the night the men ran into bush and this was intended, but not done, they said.