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

Search for Rotorua missing autistic man Nigel Peterson suspended

Alice Guy
By Alice Guy
Reporter, Rotorua Daily Post·Rotorua Daily Post·
5 Dec, 2017 04:50 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

Missing man Nigel Peterson. Photo/File

Missing man Nigel Peterson. Photo/File

After 19 days of searching police have suspended the ground search for missing autistic man Nigel Peterson.

It was a difficult decision for Rotorua police to make but Constable John Frederickson said they could not keep searching at random.

Helicopters, drones and people power have been used in the extensive search for 33-year-old Peterson but so far only a handful of credible sightings have been reported to police.

Searchers have worked long days, in the scorching heat, sometimes covering up to 40km a day.

Constable Luke Layland with police dog Cato searching for missing man Nigel Peterson near the Puarenga Stream. Photo/File
Constable Luke Layland with police dog Cato searching for missing man Nigel Peterson near the Puarenga Stream. Photo/File
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Despite the hours Frederickson said he liked it when they were still looking, when it was a proactive search.

"It is a bit of a slow process where we are now.

"It's about working on the reported sightings, working through any new information and we will follow all of that through to its conclusion."

He said there had been a possible sighting of Peterson at BP in Waiotapu, but police were still working to confirm that.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I have some grave concerns, absolutely," Frederickson said.

"If he has found water, he will still be in a very bad way at this point."

Constable John Frederickson and Colin Fraser from the Rotorua police Search and Rescue squad have put long hours into the search for Nigel Peterson. Photo/File
Constable John Frederickson and Colin Fraser from the Rotorua police Search and Rescue squad have put long hours into the search for Nigel Peterson. Photo/File

At this stage police don't know if Peterson is dead or alive.

"Unless we find a body, that would be the only defining factor," Frederickson said.

Discover more

New Zealand

Father's anguish over missing autistic son

21 Nov 03:35 AM
New Zealand

'Disappeared into the cosmos'

22 Nov 05:46 PM
New Zealand

Weekend push to find Nigel

24 Nov 04:24 AM
New Zealand

Searchers 'confident' they will find missing man

26 Nov 06:00 PM

"We've got to be honest with the family as well, and that's had to be discussed.

"To go off the radar completely like that is pretty unusual."

Peterson has been with a fulltime caregiver since he was 20.

On the day he disappeared - November 17 - he got wind he was being temporarily moved from his flat because of a water cylinder issue.

Heli Resources NZ loaned its helicopter to the search for Nigel Peterson. Photo/File
Heli Resources NZ loaned its helicopter to the search for Nigel Peterson. Photo/File

Before caregivers were able to properly explain the situation, he got out of the car and walked off.

The caregiver walked after him, but found it hard to keep up so got back in her vehicle. She drove alongside him on Old Taupo Rd trying to talk him into getting back in the car.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Frederickson said there was nothing suspicious about the disappearance.

Since then there has been one confirmed sighting of Peterson at the Hemo Gorge roundabout at about 4pm the day he went missing.

Police gave out flyers at Hemo Gorge in search for Nigel Peterson. Photo/File
Police gave out flyers at Hemo Gorge in search for Nigel Peterson. Photo/File

Frederickson said the few credible sightings since then were all within a week of him going missing.

The investigation will remain ongoing for as long as police continue to receive information.

"The family are still optimistic," Frederickson said.

"When there are no more questions being asked or we stop receiving new information, only then will the search be complete."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Nigel Peterson's description
• 33 years old
• Slim, medium height
• Wearing a green T-shirt, light brown pants, brown sneakers and possibly a denim jacket
• Often wrings his hands and could be talking to himself
• Walks with an unusual gait and leans to the side as he moves

Any information can be given to Rotorua police on (07) 348 0099 or the anonymous Crimestoppers line on (0800 555 111)

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Lawyer challenges 'plain wrong decision' in Jago's sexual abuse case

17 Jun 09:20 AM
New Zealand

Watch: Inside look after fire engulfs Auckland supermarket

17 Jun 08:15 AM
New Zealand|crime

Fit of rage: Man injures seven people in attack on partner, kids and neighbours

17 Jun 08:00 AM

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

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Premium
Simon Wilson: Chlöe Swarbrick's lost Monopoly lessons

Simon Wilson: Chlöe Swarbrick's lost Monopoly lessons

17 Jun 05:00 PM

Opinion: Why do we find it so hard to taken Green economic planning seriously?

Premium
Editorial: New Zealand has the tools to tackle vaping

Editorial: New Zealand has the tools to tackle vaping

17 Jun 05:00 PM
'I wept': White Island tragedy doctor’s anguish at child’s death

'I wept': White Island tragedy doctor’s anguish at child’s death

17 Jun 05:00 PM
'Never felt so alone':  Foster lifts lid on battles with NZ Rugby bosses

'Never felt so alone': Foster lifts lid on battles with NZ Rugby bosses

17 Jun 05:00 PM
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