Cyclone ‘goody’ bags’ stolen from workshop

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

“Goody bags” prepared for people affected by Cyclone Gabrielle have been taken from the workshop where they were stored.

The last 42 of 101 bags filled with grocery treats had been stored in a shed in the industrial subdivision, ready for delivery today, said Warwick Callender, acting president of the Rotary Club of Gisborne, whose members prepared the bags for distribution.

The bags were discovered missing at 11.26am yesterday and police were informed, he said. They inspected the site this morning.

It appeared that whoever took the bags had clambered over a gate using a ladder that was left at the scene, Mr Callender said.

The gate, over two metres high and topped by four strands of barbed wire, had replaced a large roller door that had been damaged.

Once over the gate, intruders would have been able to leave the shed through doors that could be opened from the inside.

The shed had once housed wine tanks and was being modified for use as heavy vehicle workshops.

Rotarians had filled the zipped supermarket bags with treats they hoped would bring a smile to the faces of people affected by the wild weather this year. All the bags had similar contents, the average cost of which was about $58.

An article in Saturday’s Herald incorrectly said the bags had been delivered.

Mr Callender said the last 42 bags were to be taken to the Showgrounds Park base of the East Coast Rural Support Trust today for delivery to people most in need of a boost.

Insurance would not cover the loss of the bags. A $10,000 excess applied to any insurance claim related to the premises.