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New Zealand prime minister escapes unhurt as police car crashes into his limousine

Christopher Luxon says incident was ‘a bit of a shock’, adding: ‘These things happen’

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Thursday 28 November 2024 11:44 GMT
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Related: Frieda Hughes: A deadly car crash revealed something awful

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Authorities in New Zealand have opened an investigation after a police car collided with the official limousine transporting prime minister Christopher Luxon.

The prime minister was travelling with finance minister Nicola Wills when the crash took place in Cobham Driveere in the capital Wellington on Wednesday at about 3.30pm (local time).

Police said no one was hurt in the incident. The Department of Internal Affairs, which manages crown and official vehicles, said the crash damaged the rear end of the limousine.

Mr Luxon on Thursday said it was "a bit of a shock" but he was “all good” after the incident and that his team handled it professionally. "It's all fine. A very minor incident, and [it’s] all good," he told reporters in Auckland.

“These things happen”, he said, adding that he did not know if the car would be written off.

A police spokesperson was quoted by Stuff saying they had launched an investigation into the incident following standard protocol for incidents involving official vehicles.

The crash caused traffic snarls, a caller who identified himself as Craig told Newstalk ZB’s Wellington Mornings, adding that he'd been “held up” by the incident.

He said a “silver Mercedes had been rear-ended at the roundabout by the netball stadium there”. He said the backlog went all the way back to Mount Vic tunnel.

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