Welcome to the January edition of our NZ Property Crime Monthly Update – a monthly review of verified burglaries, ram-raids, aggravated robberies and other attacks affecting New Zealand businesses. Each issue tracks what offenders are doing on the ground, how they’re getting in, and what patterns are emerging across the country. NZ property crime January 2026 records 20 verified incidents involving ram-raids, burglaries, aggravated robberies and violent retail offending affecting businesses across New Zealand.
January stayed ugly. The dataset records 20 verified incidents across the month, with offending spanning burglaries, ram-raids, aggravated robberies, armed intimidation and violent shoplifting. Several cases involved weapons or direct threats to staff, including incidents where offenders were reported to have used an axe, machetes, or a firearm (or firearm-like weapon) to control workers during theft. In other cases, offenders used speed and force – smashing entry points or using vehicles – then relied on quick getaways and stolen cars to escape.
As we’ve noted in our annual reporting, public news coverage captures well under 1% of police-recorded property crime; the value of this dataset is not volume, but the severity signals and escalation patterns it reveals.
Geographically, Auckland continued to dominate the reporting, with incidents across multiple suburbs (including Howick, Sunnyvale, Sunnynook and Newmarket), alongside sustained pressure in Waikato and incidents reaching as far as Northland, Hawke’s Bay and Christchurch. The spread matters: this is not confined to one “bad area”. The same methods are showing up across regions and store types – particularly dairies, liquor outlets, small retailers and high-value stock targets.
This month’s cases again underline how quickly offenders can breach an unprotected frontage or overwhelm staff once inside. In the reporting, security was rarely mentioned beyond after-the-fact CCTV or Police tracking. The practical takeaway remains the same: visible, friction-adding physical layers – internal grilles, after-hours barriers, anti-ram protection, and staff-side shielding (such as anti-jump screens) – are the simplest way to slow entry, reduce access to stock, and cut repeat victimisation.
At Xpanda NZ, our focus with the Crime Watch series stays practical: turn headline events into usable insight. Understanding how these attacks happened is the first step in reducing how often they succeed.
“Recommended Physical Security” refers to measures that would have reduced impact or entry time based on the incident details. These are retrospective observations, not prior Xpanda recommendations.
Case Studies of NZ Property Crime in January 2026
Date: 28 Jan 2026
Location: Napier
Crime Category: Aggravated robbery
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: To be assessed
Date: 23 Jan 2026
Location: Waikato (multiple scenes)
Crime Category: Burglary
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: To be assessed
Date: 22 Jan 2026
Location: Feilding
Crime Category: Burglary with weapons
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: To be assessed
Date: 20 Jan 2026
Location: Newmarket, Auckland
Crime Category: Stabbing / Armed Robbery
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: Anti-Jump Screen
Date: 21 Jan 2026
Location: Addington, Christchurch
Crime Category: Burglary
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: To be assessed
Date: 16 Jan 2026
Location: Howick, Auckland
Crime Category: Ram-raid / Burglary
Security Measures Mentioned: Ineffective grilles
Recommended Physical Security: Expanding grilles
Date: 15 Jan 2026
Location: Helensville
Crime Category: Ram raid
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: Bollards or Ram Beam
Date: 12 Jan 2026
Location: Upper Hutt
Crime Category: Burglary
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: Expanding grilles
Date: 11 Jan 2026
Location: Okaihau
Crime Category: Armed robbery
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: Anti-Jump screen
Date: 9 Jan 2026
Location: Hamilton
Crime Category: Ram raid
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: Bollards or Ram Beam
Date: 8 Jan 2026
Location: Whangārei
Crime Category: Aggravated robbery
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: To be assessed
Date: 8 Jan 2026
Location: Sunnynook, Auckland
Crime Category: Armed robbery / Violent shoplifting
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: To be assessed
Date: 6 Jan 2026
Location: Sunnyvale, Auckland
Crime Category: Armed robbery
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: Anti-Jump screen
Date: 6 Jan 2026
Location: West Auckland
Crime Category: Armed robbery
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: Anti-Jump screen
Date: Early Jan 2026
Location: Hutt Valley
Crime Category: Aggravated robbery
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: To be assessed
Date: 2 Jan 2026
Location: Thames
Crime Category: Aggravated burglary
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: To be assessed
Date: 13 Jan 2026
Location: Palmerston North
Crime Category: Ram raid
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: Bollards or Ram Beam
Date: 13 Jan 2026
Location: Three Kings, Auckland
Crime Category: Attempted burglary
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: To be assessed
Date: 24 Jan 2026
Location: Cambridge
Crime Category: Burglary
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: To be assessed
Date: 23 Jan 2026
Location: Waikato (multiple scenes)
Crime Category: Burglary
Security Measures Mentioned: None mentioned
Recommended Physical Security: To be assessed
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