On 2 March 2025 at Ōrere Point, Auckland, Police arrested two men who had recently been involved in aggravated burglaries using a firearm.
One of the men was immediately compliant, laying facedown with his arms spread. Mr Matue,1 however, faced off with the arresting officers and threatened them with a metal pole. In response, officers engaged in multiple uses of force against Mr Matue in an attempt to get him under control so that he could be arrested. That force included multiple Taser deployments, pepper spray, manual force and the use of a Police dog. Despite these measures, Mr Matue continued to resist arrest for some time and bit one of the officers while doing so.
The Authority found most of the officers' uses of force were justified in the circumstances. However, in the process of officers overcoming Mr Matue's resistance and arresting him, the Authority also found that there were two unjustified uses of manual force as well as some inappropriate and unprofessional commentary by the officers present.
Once Mr Matue was restrained and under Police control, ambulance staff were called to assess Mr Matue. This is standard Police policy for incidents involving the use of Tasers. While they waited for the ambulance to arrive, officers provided first aid for Mr Matue's injuries and moved him to a nearby shaded area. Shortly afterwards, Mr Matue's condition deteriorated and he became unresponsive. An officer inserted a breathing tube into Mr Matue's nostril which enabled him to begin breathing again. However, within minutes, he again became unresponsive and officers then performed CPR until ambulance staff arrived and took over. Sadly, Mr Matue died while in Police custody on the beach at Ōrere Point.
Police conducted a Critical Incident Investigation, which the Authority oversaw. Concurrently, we conducted an independent investigation. Our independent investigation included monitoring interviews with seven key officers and also conducting our own interviews with them. Additionally, we reviewed all Police records, such as reports, critical witness statements, video footage, and Police radio communications data.
The post-mortem examination indicated that Mr Matue died from methamphetamine intoxication from swallowing a large amount of methamphetamine. He was also found to have methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), cannabis and alcohol in his bloodstream. The post-mortem examination also confirmed that the actions of Police did not contribute to his death.
1 Mr Matue was identified and named by journalists and Police at the time these events were reported in the media.
Public Report
Death of Mr Matue at Ōrere Point after arrest by Police (PDF 701 KB)
