NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Arrested man claims police beat him, then released him to walk 20km back to Napier; police say he assaulted an officer

Jack Riddell
By Jack Riddell
Multimedia journalist·Hawkes Bay Today·
23 May, 2025 02:13 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

John Heremaia alleges he was beaten by Hawke's Bay police while being arrested.

John Heremaia alleges he was beaten by Hawke's Bay police while being arrested.

An arrested man claims he was beaten while in a police car to the Hastings cell and then had to walk 20km back to Napier with his injuries.

But Hawke’s Bay police say 49-year-old John Heremaia “actively and violently” resisted arrest before and during the journey in the police car.

He has since been charged with resisting and assaulting police, as well as disorderly behaviour.

Heremaia’s family are upset at his treatment and have laid a complaint with the Independent Police Conduct Authority, which says it is assessing it.

Heremaia, from Invercargill, was in Napier with his family, visiting his mother, who has terminal bile duct cancer.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

His cousin Cherie Scott, who is his mother’s carer, picked him up from Hawke’s Bay Airport on Saturday, May 10.

On Saturday, May 17, Heremaia told her that he was in Clive Square when police approached him.

Scott said Heremaia was drunk and probably “a bit disorderly” but, when police arrested him, they put his handcuffs on too tightly.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She claimed officers then proceeded to assault him in the back of the police car on the journey to Hastings, while he was still cuffed.

There are no cells at the Napier police station, which is a few hundred metres from Clive Square.

Selfie video taken by Heremaia on the day of his arrest shows him with significant swelling on his face and a cut above his eye.

Scott said he had also suffered a concussion and cuts to his wrists.

“He said he couldn’t fight back and there was nothing he could do but accept the beating.”

John Heremaia says he received his injuries while in the custody of police in Hawke's Bay.
John Heremaia says he received his injuries while in the custody of police in Hawke's Bay.

After being released from the Hastings police station, Heremaia then felt he had no choice but to walk back to Napier, a 20km journey, with his injuries.

Scott said she would have picked him up if she had known where he was.

She said Heremaia’s mother broke down when she heard the news and saw the pictures of her son.

“She’s dying, she doesn’t need to see her children like that.

“They’re the New Zealand Police. They’re supposed to be members of the community that we look up to. How do I tell my granddaughter that these are the people to trust and look up to?”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In a statement to Hawke’s Bay Today, police said a 49-year-old was arrested near Clive Square in Napier on May 17 after he was verbally abusive and aggressive to a member of the public and to the police officer who tried to speak to him about his behaviour.

After being arrested for disorderly behaviour, the man “actively and violently resisted arrest”.

“He continued to struggle while being placed into the police car and while being transported to the police station - a short journey that had to be undertaken under red and blue flashing lights due to his continued violent behaviour.”

Police could not say whether Heremaia was offered a ride home or not.

“The duty of care by police for someone taken into custody typically ends when they are released.

“While in custody, police will endeavour to help them find transport home if required.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Heremaia was charged with disorderly behaviour, resisting police and assaulting police. He appeared in Napier District Court on Thursday. His next appearance is due on June 12.

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and spent the last 15 years working in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand|crime

'It's all made up': Man in BDSM relationship shuts down rape claims

05 Jun 06:00 AM
New Zealand|crime

Man installed stolen ambulance gear in his vehicle

05 Jun 06:00 AM
Premium
New Zealand

Q&A: Ockham award-winner on her hometown, social media and making dreams happen

05 Jun 06:00 AM

Why Cambridge is the new home of future-focused design

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

'It's all made up': Man in BDSM relationship shuts down rape claims

'It's all made up': Man in BDSM relationship shuts down rape claims

05 Jun 06:00 AM

A judge said the couple’s relationship could be considered 'outside the norm or even odd'.

Man installed stolen ambulance gear in his vehicle

Man installed stolen ambulance gear in his vehicle

05 Jun 06:00 AM
Premium
Q&A: Ockham award-winner on her hometown, social media and making dreams happen

Q&A: Ockham award-winner on her hometown, social media and making dreams happen

05 Jun 06:00 AM
Watch – 'War on Māori': Rawiri Waititi hold up noose in fiery haka sanction debate
live

Watch – 'War on Māori': Rawiri Waititi hold up noose in fiery haka sanction debate

05 Jun 05:59 AM
Clean water fuelling Pacific futures
sponsored

Clean water fuelling Pacific futures

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP