Police are appealing for public assistance to identify a man whose body was recovered from the water at Saint Leonards Beach on Auckland’s North Shore, marking another tragedy amid a high drowning toll across New Zealand.
Emergency services rushed to the northern end of Saint Leonards Beach around 5:45 pm following reports that a body was visible in the water. A member of the public pulled the man ashore and attempted CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The discovery has prompted an urgent public appeal from authorities trying to establish who the man is before they can determine the exact cause of his death.
Police Describe Man Found at Saint Leonards Beach
The man found in the water off the Auckland North Shore beach is believed to be of Asian descent and roughly between 40 and his early 60s. Investigators described him as having a medium build and a bald or possibly shaven head with no facial hair, and no obvious marks, scars, or tattoos.
His clothing and personal items offer distinctive markers for anyone in the community who might recognize him. He wore a dark polo shirt featuring thin, light-coloured horizontal stripes, blue jeans held up with a bicycle tyre inner tube used as a belt, and a pair of blue and green swimming goggles. He was not wearing any shoes.
Work is ongoing to determine the circumstances of the man’s death, but our first priority is to identify the man.
Police, via Nzherald
Anyone with relevant information can contact the non-emergency 105 line by referencing file number 261101/7893. Hato Hone St John responded to the emergency call with one ambulance, a rapid response vehicle, and an operations manager.
Auckland Water Safety Crisis Deepens
This incident follows a separate fatal discovery just three days earlier at Big Manly Beach on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula, where a member of the public found a deceased man around 12:50 p.m. on a Thursday. In that earlier case, Waitematā CIB Acting Inspector Megan Goldie appealed for public help to identify the man, who was subsequently identified by police after his family was notified.
The two Auckland beach incidents arrive during what is tracking to be an exceptionally grim year for water safety across the country. A total of 71 people have drowned since the beginning of 2026. That figure outpaces both the multi-year average and the 52 deaths recorded by the same point in 2025.
Authorities Seek Help to Identify Deceased Man
For the Saint Leonards Beach incident, local police emphasize that establishing the man’s identity remains the crucial initial step before investigators can fully trace the timeline and cause of death. Authorities urge anyone who recognizes the detailed description—particularly the bicycle tyre inner tube belt or the striped polo shirt—to come forward.