Police were seeking sightings of a New Zealand Defence Force vehicle after it was stolen in the Manawatü area early this morning.

The vehicle was a white Toyota Hiace passenger van with the registration ‘JMF651’; the trailer has CADETS written on the side of it.

The New Zealand Defence Force vehicle that was being sought by Police had been located.

The vehicle was located down a bank near Levin.

A 23-year-old man has been charged with a number of charges including, two counts of unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, burglary and the theft of a motor vehicle in relation to the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) vehicle that was stolen earlier this morning.

He is due to appear in the Palmerston North District Court on Monday.

Police do not believe NZDF was deliberately targeted, but rather this was an opportunistic theft.