Street-living community mourns loss of friend who died in Napier CBD

Police were called to the Napier CBD scene on Wednesday morning after a known sythetic cannibis user died. Photo / File

Napier's street community marked the death of friend Brendan Birch, who was found dead near the inner-city on Wednesday morning.

About 10-15 people were present for a prayer in Clive and Memorial squares where the community gather on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings for early-evening food provided by "social servant" and non-practising barrister Peter Nee Harland.

"He was a good man, he wasn't a bad man," says one man, who is in his 30s and has lived in Napier all his life, some of it on the streets, but most of it struggling to keep off them.

Birch was a known synthetic cannabis user, according to police.

A friend earlier told Radio NZ Birch consumed synthetic cannabis shortly before he died.

The official cause of death would be determined by the coroner.

Nee Harland said synthetic cannabis was not a major issue with the group, but some had the attitude that synthetics were the best thing going so "let's try it".

He said the issue was not what politicians were doing, but what they were not doing.

"These are the people least able to defend, protect, and support themselves."

Police Eastern District prevention manager Inspector Dean Clifford says there is no such thing as a good or bad batch of synthetic cannabis.

"We don't want them to play Russian roulette with their health."

He said anyone struggling with addiction to synthetic cannabis should seek medical help.

"We actively encourage people to seek support."

Napier Mayor Bill Dalton said he never thought the issue of synthetic cannabis would go away with the banning of legal highs, but had led the fight to get them out of the city.

Napier's Mayor Bill Dalton says any measures taken by Central Government to halt the supply of synthetics are welcome. Photo / File

"My responsibility as mayor of a city that depends so much on tourism was to rid the CBD of the issue and I did.

"Having a retail shop selling this poison in our CBD created an appalling look for our city and resulted in a great deal of anti-social behaviour."

He said any measures central government took to halt supply would be welcome.

Napier City Council manager community strategies Natasha Carswell said the council has been working with community and government agencies to help people access housing and other services.

They found addiction to synthetics was a big barrier to people accepting help.

Police Minister and Napier MP Stuart Nash said the death was an absolute tragedy.

"Unfortunately this is happening far too often throughout our communities around the country."

Napier MP and Police Minister Stuart Nash says the death in Napier's CBD was an absolute tragedy. Photo / File

He said although police needed the power to target suppliers, addiction needed to be treated as a health issue.

He said he would not be supporting a bill currently before Parliament that would increase the penalty for supplying psychoactive substances.

"Locking people up for longer is not the solution, it has never worked, and it won't make much of a difference.

"Locking dealers up for longer would not have made a difference to this poor chap who died in Napier.

"We've got to have a health response."