A police chase that covered 70km has been described as 'justified and well coordinated' by an Independent Police Conduct Authority report into a fleeing driver on March 7 last year.
Police in Napier engaged with a ute that was seen travelling slowly in the vicinity of an address where suspicious activity had been reported.
A Constable signalled for the vehicle to stop by flashing the patrol car's red and blue lights but the driver accelerated away.
Eastern Police said they accept the findings of the IPCA report.
"Our trained teams constantly assessed the risk factors during this 86 minute event," said Eastern District Commander, Superintendent Sandra Enables.
"While fleeing driver incidents are inherently risky, Police policy states that public and staff safety takes priority over the immediate apprehension of an offender.
"The onus is on the fleeing driver to stop."