The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found officers did not use excessive force on a man in Matamata in December 2019.
Photo: RNZ / Patrice Allen
Two officers went to a property to serve a court document, but on arrival found a man and woman fighting on the driveway.
They separated the two and a short time later the man had trouble breathing and became unconscious.
CPR was administered until ambulance staff arrived, but he could not be revived.
The woman later complained of excessive force on the man, which may have contributed to his death.
The authority said there was no evidence to support the allegation that police used excessive force by placing the man in a headlock.
It said the man had been compliant with officers.
Authority chair Judge Colin Doherty said although the complainant was genuine in what she described in her complaint, there was no evidence to suggest the officers used excessive force on the man.
The authority also found that the officer who originally received the complaint, mistakenly overlooked it, which caused a delay in police investigating and notifying the authority about it.