Catering staff working at Auckland’s Go Media Stadium were unintentionally involved in a counter-terrorism training exercise conducted by the Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) last week, prompting an apology from police and the announcement of an independent review.

The exercise, held on Wednesday, June 24, ran from 8 a.m. to noon, with staff arriving earlier to set up. During the operation, which involved the use of blank rounds fired in different sections of the stadium, AOS personnel twice encountered a contractor employed by Ovation Hospitality, a catering company working on site.

Acting Inspector David Mayes of Auckland Police explained that police had established a designated operational area prior to the exercise’s start. However, the contractor was working within this zone, leading to a series of unintended interactions. Initially, officers believed the individual was part of the training scenario. In the first encounter, staff instructed the contractor to move toward an exit point and guided him by hand without any use of force, with no injuries reported.

Later, during the active exercise, officers again came across the same contractor. At this point, the man was challenged and ordered to put his hands up, following standard procedure for the training exercise. Police quickly identified him as a non-participant and apologized for the distress caused. The contractor’s manager was also contacted to discuss the incident.

A police spokesperson declined to confirm whether the man had been forced to the ground at gunpoint, stating that such details could not be substantiated.

Mayes emphasized that real police personnel, rather than actors or volunteers, were involved in the exercise to ensure realism and effectiveness. He described such drills as essential for maintaining readiness in response to potential emergencies.

Following the incident, police held an initial debrief and pledged to offer welfare support to any affected contractors or stadium staff. An independent review will be conducted, in collaboration with partner organizations, to examine what went wrong and to apply any lessons learned to future operations.

Officials at Go Media Stadium confirmed the venue had been hired for the police exercise, noting that all venue staff, tenants, and suppliers had been informed prior to the event. Paul Marquardt, general manager of stadium partnerships, stated that Ovation Hospitality had declined to comment at this stage. He added that investigations were ongoing, involving both New Zealand Police and stadium management, to determine the circumstances and causes of the incident.