Ōpōtiki not 'held to ransom' amid gang tensions, mayor says

Tuesday, 13 June 2023

Local schools and the library have closed their doors as hundreds of Mongrel Mob members flood into the town for the tangi.

Ōpōtiki’s mayor has denied his town is being “held to ransom” by gang members, with escalating tensions leading principals to close their schools as a safety precaution.

Several principals have kept the doors to their schools shut after a homicide and two house fires since Friday in Ōpōtiki.

Ōpōtiki mayor David Moore told the AM Show some of the schools which had closed were situated “very close” to where the tangihanga for Steven Rota Taiatini would be held.

“It was their call to close those, there’s a school that thought they should have been open and carried on as normal but if the schools want to stay open we have to respect that and vice versa.

* Two fires in Ōpōtiki amid heightened gang tensions after homicide

“If they’re closing that’s their choice, we can’t get involved in that side of it. The schools that were open yesterday, large numbers of children were away anyway, so it is probably a good thing for just a few days and then we’ll get back to normal as soon as we can,” Moore said.

Ōpōtiki High School is closed for the entire week with principal Terehia Channings posting they’ve consulted with police, Te Whakatōhea Trust Board, Te Rūnanga Nui o Whakatōhea along with other principals of local schools.

“Our board of trustees and the Ministry of Education have supported my decision to close the college for the remainder of the week.”

The incident is alleged to have happened on January 3, 2022. (File photo)

Moore said “tensions were heightened in the community” as Ōpōtiki saw an influx of family members and gang members for the tangi.

Iwi leaders, police and the Ōpōtiki District Council had been working hard all weekend to calm the situation, he said.

The mayor denied his town was being “held to ransom” by gang members.

While “you never have enough police”, an increase in police visibility had offered some reassurance to the community, Moore said.

Pat Carrington, principal of Waiotahe Valley School, announced they’ll be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Due to the events that have affected our community over the weekend and the uncertainty of the days ahead, we have decided to close Waiotahe Valley School for Tuesday the 13th June and Wednesday the 14th of June.

“If there is any change to returning to school on Thursday the 15th of June we will inform our community.”

There are also reports from SunLive that Omarumutu School is also closed, along with Ashbrook, Omarumutu , Kutarere, Te Kura o Waioweka and Rosegarden Preschool, and Woodlands is closing Tuesday “for the rest of the week”.

The safety concerns have risen after the death of Steven Rota Taiatini, 45, of Ōpōtiki, who died after a disorder related incident shortly after 11pm on Friday.

Stuff understands Taiatini was the president of the Mongrel Mob Barbarians.

There have been reports of an increase in gang members in the town.

There are two house fires in the last two days which are also being treated as suspicious. Two fire trucks were called to a bach on SH35 Omaio in the eastern Bay of Plenty town just before 2.30pm Monday.

The 4m by 5m cabin was burnt to the ground by the time emergency services arrived, Fire and Emergency shift Colin Underdown said.

The fire is being treated as suspicious and an investigation is underway.

This follows a Sunday night incident where four fire trucks attended a blaze on Ford St just after 9pm.

The house was well alight when the crews arrived, fire and emergency shift manager Josh Pennefather said. “It was a single storey residential house, about 10m by 15m - there were no reported injuries.”

The cause of the fire is now under investigation.

Police Detective Inspector Lew Warner said his investigation team would like to hear from anyone who was in the area of St John, Albert, or Richard streets, between 9.30pm on Friday and 12.30am Saturday.

“We urge anyone with information, no matter how small, to come forward and speak with us.

“Police will maintain a visible and increased presence in the Ōpōtiki area over the coming days,” he said.

In 2019, Ōpōtiki was dubbed the murder capital of New Zealand with 1.25 homicides per 1000 people recorded between 2004 and 2019 – the highest rate in the country.

Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 or online via www.crimestoppers-nz.org, referencing file number 230610/2652.