Cliff Curtis admits drink-driving crash, faces up to five years

Appearing in court for the first time today – albeit via an audio-video feed – movie star Cliff Curtis owned up to a drink-driving crash near Auckland’s Viaduct that resulted in a seriously injured taxi driver needing to be cut out of his car.

He could now face up to five years’ imprisonment.

The actor appeared to be sitting in his home, with his camera on mute, as his face appeared on a wall-mounted Auckland District Court television screen instead of the dock, where pleas are usually entered.

His lawyer entered the guilty pleas on his behalf.

Judge Tiffany Cooper set a sentencing date for February in Rotorua, where Curtis lives and has been recovering at his home from his own serious injuries resulting from the crash.

The 58-year-old, full name Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis, had 122mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system on the night of September 23, when he caused the crash at the intersection of Jellicoe St and Halsey St in the Wynyard Quarter of central Auckland.

For adults, any reading over 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood can result in an infringement, and 80mg or above results in criminal prosecution.

Authorities told the Herald previously that Curtis’ Tesla hit a parked Toyota Prius taxi about 10.30pm. A person was “badly trapped” inside the Prius, firefighter Michael Manning said, explaining that he and colleagues participated in a difficult extraction and provided advanced life support until ambulances arrived.

“It appears to be a very high-speed crash for this part of town,” Manning said at the scene.

Actor Cliff Curtis appears in Auckland District Court via audio-video feed as his lawyer enters guilty pleas related to a September 2026 drink-driving crash that left another motorist seriously injured. Photo / Jason Dorday

Taxi driver Gagan Deep Singh told the Herald earlier this month that he had been waiting for a fare in the bustling pedestrian area and had briefly taken off his seatbelt to relax when the other vehicle slammed into his, pushing his taxi through a concrete bench.

The speed limit for the area is 30km/h.

Singh needed stitches in his head after striking the window glass and suffered eight broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a lower hip fracture and multiple injuries to his hand, he recalled.

The crash left Gagan Deep Singh with multiple fractures and internal injuries, putting him on oxygen for nearly five days. Photo / Gagan Deep Singh

“With that pressure, my chest got pressed and my lungs bled inside,” he said. “Because of that, I couldn’t breathe at that time, and I forgot everything that had happened.”

Singh spoke to a reporter from his home, where he has been ordered by a doctor to remain on bed rest for two months. His inability to earn a living for the foreseeable future had been a cause of anxiety, he said.

He did not attend today’s hearing.

Gagan Deep Singh had to be cut out of his Toyota Prius after the crash at the intersection of Jellicoe St and Halsey St in downtown Auckland on September 23 last year. Photo / Hayden Woodward

Curtis was initially charged with recklessly operating a motor vehicle and drink driving, both of which carry maximum possible sentences of three months’ imprisonment, six months’ disqualification from driving and fines of up to $4500.

At his first hearing two weeks ago, which he was excused from attending for medical reasons, police withdrew the reckless driving charge and replaced it with a more serious charge of drink driving causing injury.

The new charge carries a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, as well as a fine of up to $20,000 and a minimum 12-month driving disqualification.

At the previous hearing, defence lawyer Samuel Moore told the judge his client had remained at home in Rotorua since the crash, recovering from his own internal injuries suffered during the crash.

Cliff Curtis in a scene from Die Hard 4.0.

Curtis rose to fame in New Zealand with his role as Uncle Bully in the 1994 film Once Were Warriors. In the decades since, he has acted alongside Hollywood’s biggest stars in numerous big-budget films as well as some of New Zealand’s most iconic movies of recent decades, including Boy and Whale Rider.

He issued a public apology to the other driver on the eve of his last hearing.

“I made a devastating mistake, and I’ll have to live with the consequences and do what I can to address the harm caused,” he said. “I am deeply sorry. My thoughts are with the injured taxi driver and his family.”

Curtis’ February sentencing date may be pushed forward, at his request. His lawyer asked that it be moved to sometime before Christmas - solely, he said, for the benefit of the victim.

Moore said his client has been “very strong and consistent” in his wish to help the victim, but has so far been rebuffed by police from contacting him. It may help the victim to receive some financial support prior to Christmas, the lawyer said.

No dates prior to February were immediately available, but the judge suggested that might change in coming months.

Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.