Ronny Tautali’s Security Licence Cancelled After Illegal Operations

Ronny Tautali has had his Certificate of Approval (COA) cancelled by the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority (PSPLA) after an investigation found he and his company, Secpro Limited, continued to provide security services without a valid licence. The decision, published as 2026 NZPSPLA 004 on the Ministry of Justice’s PSPLA decisions register, follows a complaint and inquiry by the Complaints Investigation and Prosecution Unit (CIPU) into alleged breaches of the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act 2010 (PSPPI Act). 

The PSPLA, the statutory body responsible for issuing licences and certificates of approval to private security businesses and personnel under the PSPPI Act, sets standards to ensure people and organisations offering security services are fit and lawful to do so. Licence holders must comply with conditions attached to their approvals and must not operate outside the scope of a valid licence. 

According to the authority’s written finding, Secpro Limited’s application to renew its company licence was declined in April 2025. At that time, the Deputy Licensing Authority gave the company a four‑week period to either wind down operations or restructure its business to operate under lawful conditions. The PSPLA decision records that despite this, Secpro and Mr Tautali continued to offer crowd controller services at several Auckland bars after the grace period had expired, in apparent contravention of sections of the PSPPI Act that prohibit operating a security business without a licence.

The CIPU investigation concluded that the conduct was deliberate and ongoing, noting that Mr Tautali had not filed any response to the unit’s report and did not attend the remote hearing convened on 15 January 2026. The decision also records that a previous condition attached to Mr Tautali’s personal COA – that he work only under a licensed operator – was not complied with.

In its ruling, the PSPLA determined that Mr Tautali’s actions amounted to misconduct and that he was no longer suitable to be a responsible security worker. The authority ordered the immediate cancellation of his COA, instructed him to return his security identification within seven days, and referred both him and Secpro Limited back to CIPU so that prosecution proceedings could be progressed. Failure to return the identification card within the specified timeframe can itself be an offence under the Act. 

As part of the context surrounding the decision, Mr Tautali contacted closeup.co.nz shortly before the PSPLA decision was published, seeking removal of a previous article that discussed his security operations. Two days after that contact, the PSPLA’s ruling was made publicly available on its decisions register. Because the PSPLA publishes its written decisions as soon as practicable under the PSPPI Act, the document serves as the official and authoritative record of the matter. 

The PSPLA’s decision in this case underscores the importance of compliance with licensing requirements in New Zealand’s private security industry and reaffirms that operating without a current and valid licence, or outside the conditions of a COA, can result in cancellation of approvals and referral for prosecution. https://www.justice.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Decisions/2026-NZPSPLA-004.pdf