Police say they're deeply sorry for the failings in the Nicky Stevens missing persons case that ended with his death in March last year.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority says Police did not take all appropriate steps when they only started looking for him days after he was reported missing from a mental health facility.
He was later found dead in the Waikato River.
Waikato Police District Commander Superintendent Bruce Bird has made a public apology and said after talking to the family, he's realised Nicky did a lot of work for the community and was a top bloke.
"For that, the New Zealand Police unreservedly apologises for that distress and frustration bought upon the family by our failure to implement the systems and processes that we have for dealing with incidents of this note."
Mr Bird said Police acknowledge they should have acted quicker, instead of taking 48 hours to start investigating his disappearance.
"There is a number of Police officers that were mentioned in the IPCA report - we take this incredibly seriously, that is going through an employment process."
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