Kidnap 'was retribution'

The kidnapping of a controversial property developer who was beaten up by a gang of men on a coastal block of land he has been trying to sell is under investigation.

Kim Spencer was assaulted in a shed near Pakiri Beach, north of Auckland, in November.

Detective Sergeant Scott Beard said Mr Spencer was injured but did not require hospital treatment.

Police had suspects but Mr Beard would not comment on whether the incident was business-related or if robbery was involved.

However, a local property owner told the Weekend Herald a police officer examining the scene had said, "It's not a burglary, it's retribution".

The person said locals understood Mr Spencer had met a man dressed in a business suit at the Saw Mill Cafe in Leigh. From there he went to an old woolshed on land he owns with his business partners. He was then set upon by a masked gang.

Mr Beard said forcibly detaining a person against his or her will could constitute kidnapping.

Mr Spencer previously had a high-profile career in dairy farming but was adjudged bankrupt in September 1997 with unsecured creditors totalling $2.5 million.

He turned to property development and has spent three years trying to subdivide and sell the block at Pakiri, but has met opposition from neighbouring landowners and iwi and has faced environmental issues.

He gained consent on stringent conditions requiring extensive planting and a $1.6m cash bond to ensure the planting was maintained.

He lost a court bid to have the cash replaced by a bank guarantee, and there have been complaints the plants are dying. Mr Spencer was involved in a controversy last year about a road put in without Rodney District Council approval.

The road was restored to paddock last month and the council dropped action against Mr Spencer because the contractor involved said it had misinterpreted instructions.

He told the Weekend Herald in August that Pakiri was "just hell".

Authorities had agreed to the road and "now I'm getting the shit kicked out of me", he said.

"I have something like $150 million of projects on the go in New Zealand. I just want to be left alone to do what I'm good at."