Two Bodies Recovered from Waikato River During Search Operations

New Zealand Police recovered two bodies from the Waikato River in separate but interconnected search operations.

The first discovery involved 25-year-old Teananga Tiotia from Hamilton, who went missing on Saturday, 10 January after a water-related incident near Graham Island in the Waikato River. The incident was reported to police at approximately 3:30pm after a struggling swimmer was spotted being swept downstream. Emergency services conducted an immediate search of the area, but Teananga was not located that day. Police Search and Rescue and the National Dive Squad continued searching the river following the initial incident.

The body believed to be Teananga was located just before 10am during the ongoing search operations. Police immediately notified his family of the discovery. The formal identification process was initiated, and his death was referred to the Coroner.

During the search for Teananga, police located a second tragedy. A body was recovered from inside a vehicle submerged in the Waikato River. This body was believed to be 39-year-old Aydan Brown, who had been reported missing from Chartwell on 17 August 2025. The National Dive Squad located the vehicle during their search operations and recovered both the vehicle and the body it contained. Following the recovery, River Road was reopened. Formal identification procedures were underway, and Aydan's death was also referred to the Coroner.

Both families received police support during these difficult times. The recovery operations concluded with the reopening of affected areas and the completion of initial recovery procedures.