Driver ‘misjudgment’ to blame after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s limo ‘rammed’ by police car
“A very minor incident and all good”, Luxon said.
New documents and photos released to the Herald under the Official Information Act reveal how the crash unfolded, detail thousands of dollars in damage to the two vehicles, reveal one of the drivers took the following day off work and outline efforts to “repatriate” the politicians’ trapped bags.
Photos released by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) show the damage done to the Crown vehicle, a silver 2016 BMW 7 Series. The car’s rear bumper and boot are buckled, and the BMW emblem badge has fallen off.
Private messages contain apologies, initial suggestion to call crash a ‘rear end incident’
Private messages between senior staff in the Prime Minister’s office, and officials from the Police Dignitary Protection Service and the Department of Internal Affairs, detail the immediate aftermath of the crash.
“PM has had a minor crash”, one of the PM’s staff members sent to others at 3.31pm.
“Everyone is okay.
“Sec car has rammed the back of the crown car.”
The staffer then sent a photo, with the message “Not for further sharing please”.
“Jeepers”, another staffer responded to the image.
Both Luxon and Willis appeared to make their flights to Auckland without trouble after the crash.
“Repatriating” their trapped bags from the vehicle proved more of a logistical struggle with emails cataloguing efforts to return them to the pair in Auckland.
“Everything under control. Sounds like MOF [Minister of Finance] fine and she made her flight. Bags were stuck in the boot of the car but they’ve now been retrieved. MOF’s bag(s) will be sent to AKL to the Cordis”, a message sent between staff for the Prime Minister and Finance Minister read.
The morning following the crash, a senior manager of the Police Dignitary Protection Services emailed the DIA’s Ministerial Services General Manager to apologise for the incident, check in on the Crown car’s driver, and discuss how to deal with questions from media.
“Just checking in to make sure your Driver is OK from yesterday’s incident?”, he said.
“Sometimes people can have a delayed physical and or psychological reaction to events experienced such as yesterday’s.
“While the accident was minor in nature and hopefully the damage to your car is equally not too severe, I know the event will have created additional work for both of you so on behalf of my team please accept our apologies for this.
“As you can imagine, media are beginning to query the event and in consultation with your media folk, we are preparing a very brief, factual response that should be released sometime this morning. I have just been on the phone with [Prime Minister’s staffer] to seek the PM’s view on being identified or not as the principal passenger in the VIP car.”
The Prime Minister and Finance Minister were both identified by the DIA as passengers of the vehicle in its statement to media.
Other discussions around how to respond to media queries show DIA initially suggested calling the crash a “rear end incident” before deciding to call it a “minor nose-to-tail collision”.
The chauffeur of the Crown vehicle was told by staff to take the day off following the crash.
“I hope you and client (no identification please) are ok”, one text to the chauffeur stated.
“[REDACTED] said that you were on the road. Glad that you are feeling good enough to be back behind the wheel. Hope all is good”, another text to the driver read.
It’s still not known whether the Crown vehicle will have to be written off. The DIA has not yet received an invoice regarding the cost of repairs and an insurance claim has not been finalised.
Driver ‘misjudgment’ responsible for the crash
Police launched an investigation into the incident “as per protocol”, with the findings revealing what caused the crash and the damage done to the security vehicle.
A copy of an incident report by roadside emergency services provider First Rescue states the Police Security car “made a misjudgment and went into the back of the Crown car” at the roundabout intersection of Cobham Drive and Troy St.
In response to further questions, a Police spokeswoman clarified what caused the crash, established from the investigation.
She said the Police security escort, also called the Dignitary Protection Service [DPS] car, was following the Crown car towards the roundabout on Cobham Drive to the airport.
“It has been determined the Crown car, and the DPS car behind it, had stopped to enter a roundabout, and both cars have then moved forward to enter the roundabout as it was clear to do so.”
“At the last minute another vehicle has entered the roundabout from the right, meaning the Crown car was required to stop suddenly.
“The DPS vehicle was following close behind the Crown vehicle. The DPS vehicle has not been able to stop before striking the Crown vehicle from behind.”
The car, a 2018 silver Toyota Highlander, sustained damage to its front bumper.
It was “still driveable” but had to be repaired at a cost of $5482.88.
The driver, a non-sworn Police staff member, was alone in the vehicle. They were not tested for drugs or alcohol.
“The incident was investigated and the finding was that it was a minor collision and has been managed accordingly”, Police said.
The spokeswoman said Police are “satisfied that correct protocols were being followed at the time of the crash, and in the circumstances it was appropriate for no further action to be taken”.
A spokeswoman for the DIA said it currently operates a Crown fleet of 64 vehicles, comprising “a range of vehicle types and models” including EVs and PHEVs.
It says the fleet caters for a “diverse range of operational requirements” including security requirements, motorcade functionality and “mobile office” functionality.
It’s believed to be the first time an incident like this has occurred involving a Crown vehicle transporting the Prime Minister. A DIA spokeswoman said the department does not hold “any formal records regarding any such incidents”.
In 2005 three drivers of then-Prime Minister Helen Clark’s motorcade were convicted on driving charges, including a charge of driving too close, after a high-speed trip from Waimate to Christchurch to ensure the PM could catch a flight to a Bledisloe Cup rugby test.
Ethan Manera is a multimedia journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 and is interested in local issues, politics and property in the capital. Ethan is always on the lookout for a story and can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.