Top NZ rower Zack Rumble apologises over Seattle incident, cops booze ban
'I take full responsibility for my actions, what I did was wrong, and I acknowledge that it was not okay, and will never be acceptable. I am doing everything possible to ensure that an event like this never happens again.'
What police say happened after the party
Rowing NZ has previously declined to provide any details of what led to one of its athletes being detained for nearly 48 hours at Washington State's King County Correctional Facility.
However, the official arrest report, obtained through the Seattle Police Department's public records office, has shed further light on the incident.
The report says Rumble was arrested on two counts of assault and one of obstructing a public officer following a dramatic escalation of events as a result of Rumble fleeing from police during questioning.
The charges against the rower were later dismissed.
Zack Rumble (third from left) is a member of the New Zealand's men's four crew. Photo / Rowing NZ 2025
According to the documents, police were called to the Seattle Yacht Club at 10.43pm following reports of 'two intoxicated guests fighting'.
On arrival at the yacht club, officers were flagged down by staff and pointed in the direction of Rumble. The Kiwi was described by officers as initially being co-operative.
However, according to the officer questioning Rumble, while she was awaiting her colleague to gather witness statements, the rower took a video call from a friend who encouraged him to join them at another party.
'About 30 seconds later, Rumble said, 'alright, bye', and pushed me on my left shoulder and took off running eastbound,' the officer described in her report.
As her male colleague gave chase on foot, a member of the yacht club pulled up in their pick-up truck and offered the officer a ride. She climbed into the bed of the truck and joined the pursuit of the Kiwi athlete.
Rumble was found hiding under a bush in the front yard of a residential property about 400m away, according to the report.
The officer described Rumble as being 'non-compliant in coming out with his hands up'. He was eventually detained by another officer and taken into custody at 11.58pm.
The scuffle
The New Zealand rowing team made up of a men's and women's eight had been invited guests of the yacht club having competed in the prestigious Windermere Cup, which is traditionally held on the opening day of the boating season in Seattle.
According to the event's website, prizegiving festivities kicked off at 12.30pm. Ten hours later, Rumble was at the yacht club.
According to witness reports obtained by Seattle Police, Rumble had been causing 'multiple disturbances' at the party, including throwing empty cups at other patrons.
Zack Rumble (third from left) in action with the men's four crew at the World Cup in Varese, Italy in June. Photo / Rowing NZ 2025
Eventually, Rumble left the group. When he attempted to go back inside the party, one of the patrons tried to talk to Rumble and advised him to go home as his teammates had left.
The report states: 'Rumble then reached around and grabbed [the victim] around his waist. [The victim] advised that Rumble lifted him up off the ground' and he feared he would be thrown to the ground.
Another patron then intervened and pushed Rumble into the wall to stop him from hurting the victim, according to witness statements. The Kiwi received a cut above the eye in the scuffle.
When questioned by officers, Rumble gave several different versions of events.
'When officers confronted Rumble about his changing story, he advised that he did not remember what happened.'
The officer observed that Rumble appeared 'highly intoxicated' but was 'co-operative the entirety of the time of waiting' until he fled the scene. She said Rumble ignored several commands from police to stop.
The review
The 'distressing' events in Seattle sparked major logistical and financial headaches for Rowing NZ officials.
The national body previously told RNZ one of the coaching staff remained in the US to support Rumble as he dealt with law enforcement.
'This was a distressing time for the athlete and our team members and Rowing NZ has worked hard to make sure the athletes and coaches in our care have the support around them they need,' Wickham said.
Upon the team's return, Rowing NZ engaged prominent sports lawyer Don Mackinnon to lead an independent review of the tour to 'seek learnings and recommendations'.
But the national body's handling of the episode has reportedly caused division among the athletes in its elite squad.
Rumble was allowed to travel to Europe last month to compete in World Cup events in Italy and Switzerland as part of the men's four crew, leading to concerns it demonstrated a lack of accountability for bad behaviour.
Wickham said Rowing NZ's response had been measured and appropriate.
'Rowing NZ felt it was important to gather and consider all information before any decisions were made in regard to this tour and any future tours. The independent review ensured that any members of our team had the opportunity to express any views or concerns they had about the tour in confidence.'
Following the completion of the review and discussions with Rumble, Rowing NZ imposed a range of sanctions and remedial actions.
The sanctions include a 'significant financial penalty' and a final written warning, 'understanding any further breaches of the athlete agreement, code of conduct or Rowing New Zealand's core values may jeopardise Zack's future in the programme'.
Rumble has also agreed to undergo professional counselling and complete an alcohol education course. He will be barred from drinking any alcohol while representing Rowing NZ, at least until the education and counselling programmes are completed.
He will formally apologise to Rowing NZ and the athletes and staff affected.
Wickham declined to release the full review, but he said findings indicate Rowing NZ can be confident the full squad 'behaved in accordance with expectations' on the tour, 'the significant exception to that being Zack Rumble's behaviours on the last evening'.
'Rowing NZ will continue to ensure that expectations around behaviours of our team [athletes, staff and all support team members] are clear and that being positive role models, being professional and maintaining high personal standards are a part of who we are and what we do.'
-RNZ
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
Govt's 500 police target delayed again as Australia poaching campaign considered
Associate Police Minister Casey Costello and Police Commissioner Richard Chambers appear at select committee. Photo / Mark Mitchell When the policy was first announced, it had a two-year deadline from late November 2023 to increase NZ Police's constabulary force from 10,211 to 10,711 by November 2025. Government ministers had gradually accepted the initial deadline was unlikely to be met after Police Commissioner Richard Chambers indicated June 2026 was more realistic, given his commitment to training standards. As of July 21, NZ Police had added just 23 extra officers. About 90 recruits were due to graduate at the end of the month. Associate Police Minister Casey Costello, who was responsible for the policy, said in February she was 'even more confident' the target would be reached in November this year amid a boost in applications. In a statement this week, Costello said projections shifted from month to month based on the timing of graduations and the number of officers leaving or retiring. 'We always knew it was an ambitious timeline.' Labour police spokeswoman Ginny Andersen is criticising the Government's ability to deliver. Photo / Mark Mitchell Labour police spokeswoman Ginny Andersen condemned the delay as an example of Luxon's 'inability to deliver'. 'Meanwhile, meth use is surging and our communities are suffering,' she said. 'The Government shouldn't promise what it can't deliver on.' Police keep latest projections under wraps In an interview with the Herald yesterday, Penny wouldn't provide NZ Police's latest estimate when the target would be reached, saying it was 'pretty hard to be accurate' given the variable nature of training numbers and attrition. Asked whether she could guarantee it would be achieved before the 2026 election, Penny wouldn't speculate. About 370 recruits were currently progressing through NZ Police's 20-week training course, while another 340 would begin training by the end of the year. That was offset by an attrition rate of 5.4% and an aging workforce, according to Penny. She acknowledged police had been a 'bit sluggish in the beginning', but a dedicated team had since been set up to improve recruitment efforts. 'There are some things we can do to maybe deliver it a little bit sooner and that's why last week I was with all the district commanders and asking ourselves the question around what are we doing now that's working and what are we not doing so we can move things faster. 'We are going to deliver it, but we will get there when we get there.' Police Assistant Commissioner Tusha Penny said training standards wouldn't be compromised to hit the target. Photo / Jason Oxenham One of those measures to boost recruitment could be an effort to poach Kiwi cops now in Australia and possibly Australian officers as well. Penny said Chambers had asked senior leaders to assess whether an Australian recruitment drive would be useful. A decision hadn't yet been made. It followed several attempts from Australian police officials to attract New Zealand officers across the ditch, most recently by members of Northern Territory Police. While any recruitment drive would likely focus on New Zealand officers, Penny said it was being discussed whether to broaden the campaign. 'We have had a number of conversations that we should maybe say, 'Hey, bring one of your Aussie work besties back with you', but that's in negotiation.' Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald's Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.
1News
5 days ago
- 1News
Fines issued, vehicles impounded after Auckland boy racer 'invasion'
Hundreds of anti-social car users were pursued across Auckland by law enforcement last night, with police issuing numerous fines and ordering multiple vehicles off the road on Saturday night. Dubbed the "Auckland invasion" by boy racers, the event attracted drivers from Northland and Hamilton to the supercity. 1News spent several hours following the group to locations across Auckland, including Manukau, Onehunga, Westgate, Penrose, and Drury. Police staff, including the Eagle helicopter, were deployed to each spot and at Westgate, attendees were seen letting off fireworks at an intersection. Police said more than 2500 breath tests were taken at checkpoints set up, with more than 15 drivers recording excess breath alcohol. ADVERTISEMENT A further 70 infringements were issued, 71 vehicles were sent for inspection, 33 green and six pink stickers were issued, and five vehicles were impounded. Inspector Regan James said despite the large number of road users present there was no significant disruption to the public. "Dozens of police units worked hard to disrupt the approximately 200 vehicles participating in the event. We saw some illegal behaviour, including performing burnouts and other driving offences, but our staff did well to monitor and disrupt the group's plans." He said police intervention was "strong and quick from the jump". "We were able to break up convoys and monitor behaviour effectively. We are all too familiar with the havoc this behaviour wreaks in our communities and have been very clear – we have no tolerance for it, I think that was made very clear by our response this weekend." Boy racers do skids at Mangatāwhiri. (Source: 1News) Drivers 1News spoke to said they felt the Government had not provided them with legal ways to "express their hobby". ADVERTISEMENT "Maybe if the Government provide us with some legal skid pad, then we could just go there and do them legally," one driver said. "It's a fun hobby, but it's not worth it at the moment," another said. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said at a media conference this morning that boy racers' "days are coming to an end". "You've actually got to be a safe driver. You can't just end up causing inconvenience and pain and suffering for your fellow Kiwi citizens." He said the Government had legislation before the House soon that aimed to crackdown on antisocial road use. "We've got some pretty tough penalties coming that way around your cars." A lower threshold for vehicle destruction is on the cards for boy racers, as well as expanded road closure powers for police and increased fines for excessive noise. (Source: 1News) ADVERTISEMENT The Government announced a suite of stronger measures in May, including a lower threshold for vehicle destruction and increased police powers. A presumptive sentence of vehicle destruction or forfeiture would be enacted for those who flee police, street racers, intimidating convoys and owners who fail to identify offending drivers. This would ensure courts order the vehicle destroyed or forfeited unless it would be "manifestly unjust, or cause extreme hardship to the offender or undue hardship to any other person". The existing road closure power for police would also be expanded to include all public and private areas accessible to the public by vehicle. An offence for failing to comply with a direction to leave or not enter a closed area would be established, with an associated penalty of a $1000 fine. The infringement fee for making excessive noise from or within a vehicle would also rise from $50 to $300.
NZ Herald
5 days ago
- NZ Herald
Stiff jail sentences for South American-linked Operation Bali cocaine and meth smuggling syndicate
She stayed in contact with her ex-husband back home, an alleged drug dealer named Eddy, and when her son joined her in New Zealand some years later, she helped him in his drug-dealing activities too. Now she is in prison. So is her Kiwi husband, her son and another South American immigrant, who all joined forces in a criminal group to import Class A drugs – cocaine and methamphetamine. The Wellington-based syndicate operated at least between February 2021 and June 2022, importing an estimated 28.6kg of methamphetamine and 5kg of cocaine. A joint police and Customs investigation, codenamed Operation Bali, was started after Customs intercepted several drug consignments at the border. The amounts in each and the packaging led Customs to believe the consignments were somehow related to each other. Joint investigation set up They notified police, and a joint investigation was set up, with a core group of five Customs investigators and between five and 10 police officers. Some of the suspects were identified as foreign nationals who were using Spanish in their communications. Spanish-speaking police officers were brought in to provide translations in 'close to real time', according to Detective Senior Sergeant Trevor Collett of the National Organised Crime Group. Collett told NZME that authorities have seen an increase in methamphetamine and cocaine coming into New Zealand in recent years from Central and South America. He said this could be attributed to the drug cartels in those areas expanding into the South Pacific. 'New Zealand is considered by international standards a very lucrative market for the sale of methamphetamine and cocaine,' Collett said. 'Users in New Zealand pay premium prices for the controlled drugs, and suppliers such as the South American cartels can maximise their profit by supplying the New Zealand market.' In Operation Bali, the drugs arrived in packages and consignments addressed to fictitious people, or hidden in imported items, including the legs of a wooden table, a plate from a roading compactor, a metal cog, and a sausage grill. Some of the meth seized in Operation Bali was concealed in a package containing a picture of the Virgin Mary. Photo / NZ Police Some of it was even in a package containing a painting of the Virgin Mary. Operation Bali culminated in June 2022, when police with 11 search warrants raided properties in Wellington, the Hutt Valley and Hamilton. Searches found $450,000 in cash The searches uncovered not only drugs, but also more than $450,000 in cash. The subsequent court cases resulted in hefty prison sentences for syndicate members, handed down by Justice Helen McQueen in the High Court at Wellington. Romero Lopez's New Zealand husband, Peter Alexander Wellman, got the stiffest prison sentence in the group after pleading guilty to importing cocaine, importing and supplying methamphetamine, conspiring to possess methamphetamine for supply, and money laundering. He was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison, with no chance of parole for three years and four months. Another leading member of the group, Sergio Antonio Vargas Gonzalez, was sentenced to seven years and three months for importing methamphetamine and cocaine. Romero Lopez's son, Juan Sebastian Galicia Romero, pleaded guilty to importing methamphetamine and cocaine and conspiring to possess meth for supply. He was sentenced to six years and nine months in jail. Romero Lopez herself, who said she was acting in deference to Wellman and to please her son, pleaded guilty to importing cocaine and money laundering. She was sent to prison for four years. Gonzalez's former partner, Frances Petersen, pleaded guilty to being a party to the importation of methamphetamine and received a sentence of eight and a half months of home detention. Peter Wellman used his company, Speciality Glaziers, to rent a storage container where the Class A drugs were extracted from imported goods and processed. Photo / Facebook Court documents say Wellman used his business, Speciality Glaziers, to rent a storage container where the drugs were extracted from the imported goods and processed. When police searched the house that Wellman and Romero Lopez shared, they found $144,000 hidden in the hot-water cupboard. The money laundering transactions for which Romero Lopez and Wellman were charged involved buying vehicles with cash – the couple paid $25,500 for a Nissan X-Trail SUV, and Wellman handed over $48,000 in cash for a caravan. Crash caused pain, financial hardship They explained their offending by saying it stemmed from a setback which caused them pain and financial hardship. Wellman and Romero Lopez were involved in a serious car accident in 2018. Wellman's ability to work was compromised by his injuries, and he turned to meth to deal with the pain while he was working. Before then, he had been considered a hard-working and highly regarded member of the community, according to references provided to the court from a former employer, a neighbour and friends. Wellman had previous convictions, not specified by the sentencing judge, but apart from a driving offence in 2002, they were all more than 30 years ago. But after Wellman started taking meth, he became addicted. His use increased dramatically, and he needed money to pay for the drug at the same time that he was earning less from his business and using up his savings. He was offered the chance to obtain meth at a reduced cost if he became a supplier and found other people to sell it to. Claudia Romero Lopez and Peter Wellman were both sent to prison. Photo / Facebook Early life abusive and chaotic Romero Lopez was described as having an 'extremely difficult personal history' in South America before moving to New Zealand 14 years ago. She came from poverty. Her early life was unstable and abusive, chaotic and traumatic. She was caught up in a gang-related drug cartel, although she later claimed that she had never used illegal drugs herself. She had no previous convictions. She was married for a while to the alleged drug supplier Eddy. She later met and married Wellman in New Zealand, but suffered spinal injuries in the 2018 car crash, leaving her unable to work. Romero Lopez claimed she was unaware of the cash found at her home, telling a probation officer that she looked after the house, and he looked after the money. '[I] didn't question where the money came from,' she was quoted as saying. 'Women from my culture and situation don't do that.' Romero Lopez said that some of her offending was to help her son, Galicia Romero, who took a leading role in the syndicate. She said she would 'try to do anything' to make her son happy. Galicia Romero worked with contacts overseas to send the drug imports to several New Zealand addresses. Court documents say he was personally responsible for the importation of 2.5kg of cocaine and 1kg of meth, and was found to have $63,450 hidden in a PVC pipe in his home. Galicia Romero, 27, was born in Colombia, and a report prepared for the court said that he grew up in the context of crime, violence and the idea that people could only succeed and get out of poverty through illegal activities. Another report said that when he was in his late teens, his father encouraged him to get to know older men involved in criminal activities, because they had money and status. Operation Bali officers discovered 6.1kg of meth hidden in the base plate of a roading compactor. Photo / NZ Police Galicia Romero joined his mother and two brothers in New Zealand under a family resettlement programme. He has previous convictions and has struggled with addiction to cocaine and alcohol. He faces possible deportation after finishing his sentence, and thus separation from his New Zealand-born son. $299,000 found in storage locker Vargaz Gonzalez was involved in importing the lion's share of the syndicate's drugs – 15.2kg of methamphetamine and 2.5kg of cocaine. Police found $299,000 hidden in a storage locker he had access to. He also directed his then partner, Petersen, to provide addresses where drug consignments could be delivered. These were sent to fictitious people, including 'Teresa Hendricks'. Teresa is Petersen's middle name, and Hendricks is her mother's maiden name. Petersen is a former psychology student who, according to court documents, is at risk of being trapped in a lifestyle of dancing in nightclubs, vulnerable to drug and alcohol use and predatory men. She applied for a discharge without conviction and name suppression, and was unsuccessful on both counts. Detective Senior Sergeant Collett said offshore drug suppliers were using increasingly sophisticated methods to conceal drugs coming into the country. In many cases, even the recipients don't know how the consignments will arrive and in what form until they receive the goods. Wristweights containing methamphetamine were seized by Customs during Operation Bali. Photo / NZ Customs Wastewater analysis and increased seizures show that cocaine use in New Zealand is on the rise. The national drugs in wastewater testing programme estimated that in the first quarter of 2025, the national consumption of the drug was 4.5kg a week. This compares with 3.3kg in the first quarter of last year. Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME's Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke's Bay. His writing in the crime and justice sphere is informed by four years of frontline experience as a probation officer.
