About 7.45pm, a local police officer conducted a routine hotel check at the tavern, speaking with bar staff and patrons. The tavern’s duty manager asked Templeton about his plans to get home and whether he had a sober driver. About 8pm, Templeton began sending video messages to an associate discussing the officer’s presence at the bar. In that video, he said he was going to find where his car was parked because he was going to drive home. About 8.20pm, Templeton told the two passengers to leave the bar and walk up McEwen St towards the Tokanui-Niagara Highway.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 24, 2026 00:26 UTC