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

Police talk to TV3 over 'pilot' stunt

By NZ Herald Staff and APNZ
NZ Herald·
19 Sep, 2011 12:39 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

A security camera image shows the wanted man - wearing his pilot's uniform - in the Auckland Airport domestic terminal. Photo / NZ Police

A security camera image shows the wanted man - wearing his pilot's uniform - in the Auckland Airport domestic terminal. Photo / NZ Police

A man who attempted to access a restricted area of Auckland Airport by dressing in a fake pilot's uniform was carrying out a stunt for television show Wannaben, reports say.

APNZ understands the imposter was not comedian Ben Boyce himself.

Police are now meeting with the show's producers, Radio NZ reports.

The man was reportedly filming for an upcoming segment of the show when he dressed as a pilot and approached staff at the Auckland domestic air terminal on Saturday afternoon to try to get into a restricted airside area.

TV3 spokeswoman Rachel Lorimer said police were currently talking to members of the Wannaben production team.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She would not comment further until the meeting was over as it was a police matter.

The man was wearing a white shirt with gold-banded epaulets, blue trousers, and a dark cap with a silver-winged badge.

Staff challenged him when he failed to show proper identification and he left the terminal building in his disguise shortly after 2.30pm.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A former TV3 employee said the incident "doesn't surprise me".

Police spokesman Kevin Loughlin said officers were still making inquiries into the incident.

More information would be released this afternoon if the matter was to be taken further, he said.

He would not confirm whether the man had tried to fake his way into the airport restricted area.

Discover more

New Zealand

Police seek fake pilot at Auckland Airport

17 Sep 05:30 PM
New Zealand

Do you know this man? Police hunt fake pilot

18 Sep 05:30 PM
New Zealand

Fake pilot a 'serious' security threat

18 Sep 09:19 PM
Cartoons

Cartoon: All access denied at airport

19 Sep 05:28 PM

Airline Pilots' Association aviation security coordinator Paul Lyons said the incident was of serious concern.

If the man had got into the restricted area he would have had access to airside terminal areas, aircraft and boarding passengers.

"We don't know what the motives of this person were, whether they were in the nature of a prank or whether there were more sinister or serious motives," he told Radio New Zealand.

Pilots and other airport staff took security very seriously, he said.
"It's very much viewed as a team approach - everyone's involved in security," he said.

"I would include the public in this as well. We're all part of the security network and if anyone sees anyone anything suspicious they should report it to the authorities."

Mr Lyons said security varied across different sized airports and was "very strong" at Auckland Airport.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The penalties for breaching a security area included prison or a very heavy fine.

"It's of a very serious nature and I'm sure the police would treat it very seriously, as would our pilots," Mr Lyons said.

People could not hire authentic pilots' uniforms at costume shops and the fact the man had a uniform was concerning, he said.

The episode was reminiscent of the film Catch Me if You Can, which was based on the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr, who posed as a Pan Am pilot while on the run from authorities.

Mr Lyons said it was the first time he had heard of such an incident in New Zealand.

"It may have happened in the past but I've been involved in aviation for around 30 years and I'm not aware of a similar incident happening, certainly not at Auckland Airport in recent times."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Superintendent Andy Lovelock said attempted breaches of airport security were taken very seriously.

"The effort to which this individual has gone to access the restricted airside area of the Auckland airport is of a significant concern," he said.

The man, in his late 20s to 30s, was seen driving away from the terminal in a black Hi-Ace with tinted windows.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Body found in Christchurch carpark not missing woman - police

18 Jun 07:10 PM
Herald NOW

Herald NOW: Daily News Update: June 19 2025

New Zealand

Rich-lister philanthropist backs Wellington mayoral hopeful Ray Chung

18 Jun 06:57 PM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Body found in Christchurch carpark not missing woman - police

Body found in Christchurch carpark not missing woman - police

18 Jun 07:10 PM

The body was found in the same suburb the missing pensioner disappeared from.

Herald NOW: Daily News Update: June 19 2025

Herald NOW: Daily News Update: June 19 2025

Rich-lister philanthropist backs Wellington mayoral hopeful Ray Chung

Rich-lister philanthropist backs Wellington mayoral hopeful Ray Chung

18 Jun 06:57 PM
How successful has the PM's trip to China been?

How successful has the PM's trip to China been?

Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

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
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • 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