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I really cant make out much detail of the head at all unfortunately.I still believe that it is a raptor, and if so,this is the nearest bird that fits, as unlikely as this is.
Mystery.... unless it reappears somewhere.

Am I the only one that thinks the legs are decidedly pink? I also believe it’s looking at the camera. You can see the White extends behind the neck breaking its profile up which isn’t present in your attached photo steve and I feel like it adds weight to the theory that it’s facing the camera. And based on that you can almost imagine a large pointy beak extending out slightly to the right of the bird.

I should say at this point I have no bloody clue what it is! Just trying to make as much sense of what it could be as possible

To me the legs are pale, and arguable even short, certainly not bright yellow as above. The picture is so really bad and the colours I would say are unreliable for much detail.
I think the white that seems to be on the neck, is from the throat as it swivels the head.No white collar for me.
If it is a raptor,and I'm fairly confidant it is, talking to the guy who saw it, and is all dark above and very pale below, and the size it is.
There isn't much out there to choose from.

My thoughts are that it is a little pied that has hit the power lines and has come down in the paddock. Keep the ideas coming . Very interesting !

Just caught up with this now. I think you can rule out little shag by leg colour alone (clearly not black) but I'm not convinced that it is even standing. Such leg as can be seen looks super-thick and I wonder if it is on its haunches. Curious and no doubt misleading!
Phil

Great shear water blown off course and ended up on a post in the hills

I don't know what it is, but if Steve is confident it's a raptor, especially after talking or corresponding with the guy that saw it, including flying, then I'm heavily influenced by that and am leaning that way

Steve has already mentioned Meyer's and Pied Goshawk, and Colin White-chinned Caracara. Another pied raptor of about the right size [actually very varied in size] is the pied morph of Variable Hawk and that's a bird of open country

As to how one might have arrived here from western South America----well a bit of pretty wild speculation is needed, but here's a wild thought;

I believe that Variable Hawk is a species favoured in falconry [please correct me if I'm wrong] and whilst the illegal shipping of raptors from country to country for that purpose is [I think] not known in NZ, it is in other countries, and ships calling into NZ come and go from all sorts of places ----an accidental or panicked release ??

Hi Phil
I had considered exactly that. Paul G. has also suggested the register of imported birds (Auckland zoo )and I also thought of checking with any NZ falconry org that may have some info.
On my todo list next week.

Steve Wood wrote:Hi Phil
I had considered exactly that. Paul G. has also suggested the register of imported birds (Auckland zoo )and I also thought of checking with any NZ falconry org that may have some info.
On my todo list next week.

The only falcon/harrier-like birds left in captivity in New Zealand are NZ falcons and Australasian harriers.
The most similar bird to those that used to exist in captivity here was the wedge-tailed eagle.

-SomesBirder

I wasn't thinking so much of captive birds in NZ but more of an accidental or panicked release from a ship
The legal and illegal shipping of raptors are multi million dollar businesses involving 1000s of birds and some of those ships may well pass through NZ.