Gang tensions: Shot fired after rogue road checkpoint set up near Wairoa

A rogue checkpoint stopping cars in Raupunga this week led to a shot being discharged - the 55th gang-related shooting in the Eastern District over the last 14 months. Photo / NZME

A rogue checkpoint stopping cars near Raupunga led to a shot being discharged - the 55th gang-related shooting in the Eastern District over the last 13 months.

According to sources it was staged by gang members looking for a rival, and is one of a number if incidents in tension involving a slew of firearm incidents and suspicious fires in the Wairoa District over the last week.

On Friday, police announced about 20 staff from throughout the country will be brought to Wairoa “on a rolling basis” as part of Operation Kōtare, which has kicked off in the Tairawhiti area (Gisborne-Wairoa) this week. It will soon to include the rest of Hawke’s Bay.

Hawke’s Bay Today understands a ministerial social sciences adviser could be in the area as part of moves to bring an end to tensions which have arisen repeatedly over several decades, a move which would please gang issues consultant and Black Power life member Denis O’Reilly, of Napier, who says it’s time to roll back the clock, bring in all the community leaders (including those in the gang memberships), the multi-generational whanau, and the specialists.

“There is some suggestion that there are some communities that are suffering from community post-traumatic stress,” he said. “This sort of stuff has been going on for 50 years or more, people know who’s doing what, so let’s talk about it.”

Raupunga could be a case in point, O’Reilly being aware that back to World War II there was significant loss of the men from the district, and, in later years, there were the losses of Ministry of Works, Railways and Forestry camps which provided inter-generational employment., and homes.

The wider issues had not been analysed in depth since the 1980s, which featured the establishment of the Department of Labour’s Group Employment Liaison Service (GELS) and creation of detached social worker positions within the communities, but those had been disestablished despite apparent success.

He pointed a finger at politicians, warning against even unintended glamourising of the problems as “gang” issues, when they may be more social and whanau issues.

He believes police are “doing a good job”, and it’s not “just sitting around with a few guys having cups of tea”.

Police had to respond to what happens, but also there was the need to define “the psychology of what’s going on”, he said.

A statement from Eastern District police said Operation Kōtare was focusing on reducing the prevalence of unlawful behaviour by gangs, particularly the use of firearms and violence in public.

“The operation has three key areas – the disruption, suppression, and prevention of unlawful behaviour involving gangs,” the police statement said.

The statement said that while there had been several concerning incidents in recent weeks, the planning for this operation began last year.

Since January 2022, there have been at least 55 gang-related shootings in the Eastern District including Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay, seven in January 2023 alone.

“There has also been ongoing firearms-related intimidation and threats – some of it between gangs, and some within the same gang,” the statement said.

On Thursday a bolt-action rifle and 38 rounds of ammunition were located and seized at a house in Wairoa where police officers had gone to serve a warrant to arrest.

The man, aged 23, was due to appear in the Gisborne District Court on Friday charged with methamphetamine offences, failing to stop, resisting police, and bail breaches.

A house on Apatu St in Wairoa was gutted by fire last Wednesday morning, while another home on Black St in Wairoa was severely damaged in a fire early on Monday.

Both fires were deemed suspicious.

Police were also called to reports of a firearm being discharged from a vehicle, at another vehicle, on Marine Parade in Wairoa on Sunday.

Inquiries into the two fires and discharged firearms were ongoing according to Eastern District police.

“Fortunately, these incidents did not result in any injuries,” the statement said.

Inspector Darren Paki said the communities of Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay deserved better.

“This unlawful behaviour we’ve been seeing will not be tolerated, and the public can be reassured we are doing something about it,” Inspector Paki said.

“But we also want to bring the community along with us. They are an essential part of the solution.”