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

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Budget 2025
  • 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
  • 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
    • 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
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • 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

Police justified in shooting criminal left paralysed

Hawkes Bay Today
4 Jun, 2014 10:41 PM4 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

A cordon at the intersection of State Highway 2 and Higginson Road where police shot David Taite. Photo / APN

A cordon at the intersection of State Highway 2 and Higginson Road where police shot David Taite. Photo / APN

Police were justified in shooting a Hawkes Bay man left paralysed as a result, an independent report has found.

The police officer who shot David Taite in 2011 in Central Hawkes Bay was lawfully justified given the dangerous circumstances he faced, an Independent Police Conduct Authority has found.

According to the report released today Taite was well known to police, had a "significant and serious criminal history" which included a conviction for the attempted murder of a police officer and multiple family violence offences.

In the six weeks prior to the incident in the early hours of Thursday October 20, 2011, Taite had made a number of threats that had been reported to police.

These included threatening to burn down the Dannevirke property owned by his landlord and threatening to kill his former partner and to shoot other people.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He also spoke of killing himself and causing damage to other people's property. Police had also been advised that Taite had access to weapons.

Police had been searching for Taite since September 10 and since that time the Dannevirke and Central Hawkes Bay police had been authorised to carry firearms in response to his previous threats and confrontations with police.

On October 19, an Otane resident phoned police to report a sighting of Taite.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Two police officers who were travelling from Hastings were advised of the call and as they turned off State Highway 2 into Higginson Street in Otane they passed a Nissan station wagon.

Suspecting that Taite was in the car the officers followed the vehicle onto SH2 before signalling the Nissan to stop about 100 metres south of Higginson Street.

One of the officers spoke to the driver and the passenger of the car and asked for their details. Taite, who was the passenger, gave a false name and became agitated.

Both officers then returned to the patrol car. They decided that one of the officers would stand behind the patrol car with a rifle and watch the passenger while the other radioed to check the car occupants' details and confirm Taite's description.

Discover more

New Zealand

Senior officer cleared over man's death

17 Apr 04:15 PM
New Zealand|crime

Pursuing officer put people at risk

01 May 12:08 AM
New Zealand|crime

Police broke law, breached rights

07 May 10:55 PM
New Zealand|crime

No police coercion on confession: IPCA

20 May 12:26 AM

Taite got out of the Nissan and with his right hand inside his sweatshirt holding what looked like a cylindrical object, walked towards the car.

Taite called out that he had a gun and was going to kill the officer. At this point the officer, who was on the radio, got out of the patrol car and drew his glock pistol, telling Taite he was armed and that Taite should get on the ground.

Ignoring this instruction Taite moved towards the officer, who repeated the instruction to lie down. Taite ignored this and continued to advance towards the officer who then fired a single shot at Taite's chest.

Taite fell to the ground and continued to yell abuse at the officers. He then started crawling towards the open driver's side door of the patrol car where the keys were in the ignition and the car was running.

Concerned that Taite might attempt to escape using the police car, one of the officers ordered him to roll over and show his hands.

Taite then put his hand inside his trousers and replied that he had a grenade and was going to blow everyone up. Concerned about this new threat and the safety of those around him, the officer struck Taite in the face, stunning him. Both officers then handcuffed him.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The officers assessed Taite's injuries as they waited for the ambulance to arrive.

Taite suffered a spinal injury from the gunshot and is permanently paralysed from his waist down.

In releasing today's report Independent Police Conduct Authority chairman Judge Sir David Carruthers said the officers involved did all they could to manage a difficult situation.

"Both officers were justified in arming themselves and in stopping the Nissan car.

Likewise the officer who shot and kicked Mr Taite was lawfully justified in doing so given the circumstances he was faced with."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Killer's jail sentence quashed due to critical letter error

20 May 07:00 PM
New Zealand

Truck breaks down on Canterbury bridge, blocks off SH1 southbound

20 May 06:55 PM
New Zealand

'It's a saving of $838': Costco's butter frenzy sparks 750km trips

20 May 06:53 PM

The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Killer's jail sentence quashed due to critical letter error

Killer's jail sentence quashed due to critical letter error

20 May 07:00 PM

Daniel Rikiti's sentence for running over and killing Richie Martin is quashed.

Truck breaks down on Canterbury bridge, blocks off SH1 southbound

Truck breaks down on Canterbury bridge, blocks off SH1 southbound

20 May 06:55 PM
'It's a saving of $838': Costco's butter frenzy sparks 750km trips

'It's a saving of $838': Costco's butter frenzy sparks 750km trips

20 May 06:53 PM
NZ Retail Growth, Hospital Voucher Crisis, and Trolley Troubles | NZ Herald News Update

NZ Retail Growth, Hospital Voucher Crisis, and Trolley Troubles | NZ Herald News Update

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

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