This included 65 in Rotorua Hospital’s Emergency Department. During the same period, 140 physical assaults on health staff were recorded. At Tauranga and Whakatāne Hospitals, 477 verbal assaults were recorded on health staff during the same period, including 80 in Tauranga Hospital’s Emergency Department. There were 467 recorded physical assaults on Tauranga and Whakatāne Hospital health staff. Frontline emergency workers are also often in the firing line, with the nature of policing putting officers in harm’s way.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 10, 2026 05:33 UTC