More than two dozen dogs at Panguru property where man mauled to death

Residents of an isolated Far North town have reacted with shock and disbelief to the fatal mauling of a man they knew as "a good old fella" who loved his dogs.

The man, who was thought to be aged 69, lived about 3km north of Panguru, in North Hokianga, on a narrow metal road with few residents.

The alarm was raised just before 2pm on Thursday.

St John Ambulance and Kohukohu Fire Brigade responded but with aggressive dogs still on the loose they were unable to attend to the man until police, who armed themselves for protection, had made the property safe. He died at the scene.

Officers had to shoot one adult dog while three others escaped and are still on the run.

The first report was that there were about a dozen dogs on the property including six puppies. By Friday the number of dogs found the property had risen to about 25.

The mauling occurred on Puketawa Rd, off Runaruna Rd north of Panguru. The area is rugged and isolated, dominated by scrub, pine plantations and rough farmland.

There are few other residents on Puketawa Rd.

The area was still a hive of activity today, with police guarding the scene and a number of other vehicles parked at the end of the victim's driveway.

Locals said the dead man kept mostly to himself but was well regarded and made regular trips into town for supplies.

He had called into Panguru only a day before the attack for milk and bread with, as always, a couple of his dogs in the front seat of his truck.

One resident, who did not want to give her name, said the man locals knew as Nev was "a lovely guy who was friendly to everyone".

While his dogs looked "scary as" she had never known them to be aggressive and couldn't believe they had been responsible for the attack.

"There's really nothing bad to say about Nev, he's a cool old guy. He kept to himself but everyone knew him and his dogs. The one thing he loved was his dogs."

He had been down country recently to see his grandchildren and his ailing father, who had died aged in his 90s.

He had only been home for about two weeks.

While he was away another man, who also had dogs, had been looking after his house.

She believed the house-sitter's dogs were still present at the property but that could not be confirmed.

Another resident described him as a small, slightly built man, who would have had little chance if a large dog knocked him to the ground.

A group of kuia catching up outside Whakarapa Toa, Panguru's general store, were also shocked by the death.

One described the victim as "a good fella" who supported local businesses.

"I can't believe it was his dogs. I don't know if anyone else was there at the time, we're in the dark as much as anyone else."

Most of what they did know was gleaned from news reports and social media, she said.

The Far North District Council confirmed about 25 dogs were on the Panguru, North Hokianga, property, however, some of these were puppies.

"A history check on the property by Council's Animal Management Team found that there were no active registered dogs for the property; people are allowed to have more than 2 dogs," council general manager of district services Dean Myburgh said.

The council does not have any animal control officers in Panguru today, he said.

Pukekawa Rd, at Panguru, in Northern Hokianga, where a man is believed to have been mauled to death by some of his 25 dogs, is little more than a 'goat track.'

Deputy mayor Ann Court said it was a horrific way for anyone to die and equally horrific for emergency services and the council's animal control officers who arrived at the scene after police.

"They are not trained for something like that and the council is providing them wrap around support.

"We have amazing animal control officers who cover an enormous area and there's always going to be a need for them sadly and that's just the life we live.

"Just like police who can't be on every street, our animal control officers can't be everywhere and it takes a while for them to respond, given the enormous area they cover," Court said.

Kaikohe-Hokianga ward councillor Moko Tepania told Radio NZ's Morning Report the situation was "scary".

"This is something out of a horror story to be honest, that we've had someone who's been mauled to death by dogs."

He estimated there to be about 5,000 dogs in the district and said stray dogs were an issue, though nothing like this had happened before.

"This is extremely horrific and I really do feel so much aroha for Runaruna, which is a community just out of Panguru.

"This is just something you'd never want to happen in your area."

Puketawa Road was a 10km-long metal road "just a little bit of an upgrade from a goat track".

Tepania wasn't surprised the dogs had gone missing as the area was "as rural as you can get".

"It is a well used road but it is extremely rural, it's surrounded by bush and mountains and rivers. So if these dogs had gone to ground then until they come back it could be a real struggle to try and locate them."

Everyone in the area had either pet dogs or hunting dogs, Tepania said.

"I'm wondering if these are hunting dogs that have been mistreated or left hungry ... or if they're feral dogs.

"If they're feral dogs, dogs that nobody actually owns that are just roaming around up there then we do need to get onto this to make sure there aren't other packs of dogs like this."

Police are today turning away people from the driveway to the house where the tragedy happened, about 1km up Puketawa Rd.

The house is about 3km from Panguru.

Police Far North area investigations manager Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Dalzell enquiries into the incident remained ongoing.

"At this stage, police are still working to establish the wider circumstances of the incident and a scene guard remains in place at the address on Puketawa Road, Panguru.

"A search for the outstanding three dogs has resumed in the area this morning."

He reiterated earlier advice for the public to avoid any stray dogs in the area and anyone with information on the location of the dogs should ring 111.

"As this was a fast-moving situation, police don't have a description of the animals to provide at this stage, however will look to issue a further update when more information is available.

"We understand this is a tragic and concerning situation for the community and police are providing support to the families of those involved," Dalzell said.

A Far North District Council spokesman said council animal control officers were working with police where possible.

The council would release further information when available.

Police responded to a sudden death at a house on Puketawa Road yesterday afternoon and initial indications suggested a man found dead was subjected to a dog attack.

Police enquiries are in the early stages but they don't believe his death is suspicious.