On midnight 1 January 2025, the New Zealand Police officer Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming was killed after a car struck two police officers in Nelson, New Zealand. [1] [2] A 32-year old man, identified as Hayden Tasker, [3] was charged with several offenses including her murder. [2] Her death attracted significant media coverage in New Zealand with public memorials being held in her honour. [4] Fleming became the first policewoman in New Zealand to be killed in the line of duty. [2]
At about 2:10 am on 1 January 2025, Hayden Donald Jason Tasker rammed his car into two police officers named Senior Sergeants Lyn Fleming and Adam Ramsay, who were conducting a foot patrol at carpark in central Nelson's Buxton Square. Tasker then turned and rammed a police car in the carpark. [3] [1] At the time, Tasker had been driving under the influence of alcohol and while his driving license was suspended. [3]
Fleming was admitted to a local hospital where she subsequently succumbed to her injuries in the presence of her family. [1] [3] Her colleague Ramsay suffered serious injuries during the incident but recovered. [3] [1] A third police officer in the rammed police car also suffered concussion while two members of the public were also injured; with one attempting to come to the assistance of Fleming and Ramsay. [1] Shortly after the incident, Tasker was arrested and charged with eight criminal charges including murder, attempted murder, assault using a vehicle as a weapon and driving while disqualified. [1]
On 3 January 2025, a 32-year old man, subsequently identified as Hayden Tasker, [3] appeared in the Nelson District Court on eight charges including murder, attempted murder, assault using a vehicle as a weapon, dangerous driving and driving while disqualified. Justice Richard Russell imposed an interim name suppression to allow the accused to contact his family and remanded the defendant into custody until a scheduled appearance at the Nelson High Court on 14 February. Russell also issued an order prohibiting all media including social media from publishing video footage of the incident. [2]
In late February 2025, Tasker appeared at the High Court in Blenheim where he pleaded guilty to two charges of drink driving and driving while disqualified. He pleaded not guilty to six charges including the murder of Fleming, the attempted murder of Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay, causing grievous bodily harm with reckless disregard to safety, and three charges of dangerous driving. [3] Name suppression for Tasker lapsed during a pre-trial hearing at the Wellington High Court on 8 August 2025. [3] On 17 October, Tasker's case was transferred to Christchurch, with a tentative trial date being set for May 2026. [5]
On 2 January 2025, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers issued a statement condemning Fleming's killing as "tragic and senseless." He also described her as the first policewoman in New Zealand to be killed in the line of duty. [2] On 3 January, several people paid tribute to Fleming by laying flowers, balloons, handwritten cards, and letters at the base of the flagpole outside the Nelson Police Station. The New Zealand flag was also hung at half-mast. Pastor Jennifer Macleod of Stoke Baptist Church also delivered a bouquet of flowers on behalf of local Baptist congregations in honor of Fleming. [2] On 16 January, hundreds of people including Police Commissioner Chambers attended Fleming's funeral at Nelson's Trafalgar Centre. [4]
On 29 September, Fleming's family established a stone memorial to her in a garden outside Nelson's Central Police Station. Chambers and Police Minister Mark Mitchell attended the memorial's dedication ceremony and laid wreaths. [6]
On 22 June 2025, The New Zealand Herald reported that an internal police investigation found that 50 Police employees had illegally accessed a file relating to the death of Fleming that was stored in an intelligence database called the National Intelligence Application (NIA). The NIA stores sensitive information about incidents, offending and the public. A Police spokesperson confirmed that the 50 individuals had been issued with warnings, with New Zealand Police Association president Chris Cahill describing the data breach as a serious offense that could lead to disciplinary actions including dismissal. [7]