14 Nov 2022

Man collapses and dies after 'disturbance' on Auckland street

10:54 am on 14 November 2022
Ronayne Street, Parnell.

Ronayne Street in central Auckland where emergency services were called to a disturbance. Photo: RNZ / Rayssa Almeida

A man has died while speaking with police who were called to a central Auckland street over reports of a disturbance.

Police said they received several reports of a man causing a disturbance on Ronayne Street about 4am.

Officers found the man, and while talking to them, he collapsed and died.

The street was cordoned off until about 7am.

A resident told RNZ they saw two men running in different directions after an argument.

Derek lives in an apartment building near where the incident happened and said it was common to hear altercations in the area.

He said he heard noises on the street just before police arrived.

"I heard somebody yelling, but I hear that every day, so I just didn't think much of it. I looked down from my balcony and I saw the police car leaving."

Across the road, a petrol station staff member said its night shift worker called emergency services as soon as he heard what he thought was a "heated argument".

Police said at this stage the death was being treated as unexplained.

The coroner was notified and a post-mortem will be carried out to determine the cause of death.