Murdered farmer plagued by crime

By ANNE BESTON, LOUISA CLEAVE and NZPA

A 71-year-old Hawkes Bay farmer shot dead yesterday was killed in an area often hit by stock rustlers, burglars and dope-growers.

Jack Nicholas told a local newspaper last year that he was sick of thieves poaching his cattle.


"If you wish to get serious about crime, murder, drugs, you give the perpetrator a swing on a short rope," Mr Jackson, from Puketitiri, 56km northwest of Napier, wrote in a letter to the Hawke's Bay Today.

A former Puketitiri resident said farmers there were so concerned about burglaries that they tried to keep details of their annual get-together secret so burglars would not know when they were out.

They frequently had run-ins with cannabis growers, people stealing farm equipment and rustlers.

Thieves sometimes stole under their noses, confident they could get away before police arrived at the remote settlement.

Yesterday, police, hampered by snow, admitted they had no firm leads.

It was not known whether Mr Nicholas disturbed someone trying to steal his sheep, but Napier area commander Inspector Kevin Kalff said the possibility was under consideration.

Mr Nicholas' Scottish wife, Agnes, found his body at 7.20am after she went looking for him when he did not return from feeding his pet sheep.

She had earlier heard three gunshots but did not think anything of it, said nephew Bill Whittle.

Armed police officers were flown to the scene, where Mr Nicholas' body was lying on a road.

Mr Kalff said 17 police officers would continue inquiries in the area over the weekend. A helicopter with heat-detecting equipment was also being brought in.

The death prompted the closure of the seven-pupil Puketitiri School as parents kept children home fearing the gunman was still on the loose.

Police initially closed all roads in and out of Puketitiri, but later removed the checkpoints.

Mr Kalff said it was impossible to cover every escape route. "There's any number of potential escape routes, whether on motorbike or four-wheel-drive vehicle. We could only cover the two main roads out.

"We are looking [for the gunman] over a wide area. We are checking the likely hiding places and are searching for a vehicle.

"If the person is still in the area we expect him to be dangerous. Nobody should confront him. They should contact us."


It is understood a vehicle was seen driving away from the area.

Resident Tim Dinneen said Mr Nicholas was a good neighbour and his death was "a bloody shame".

Another Puketitiri resident described Mr Nicholas as a "good bloke" and said the murder had shocked the community.

Deborah Turner, who lives about half-an-hour's drive from the Nicholas farm, said the community was concerned for Mrs Nicholas, but a police cordon had prevented them from providing support.

"Nobody has been able to get there to see how Agnes has been doing, as the police have been keeping everybody away."

Mr Nicholas introduced the rabbit calicivirus RCD to the Hawkes Bay in 1997, and it spread through the North Island.

He told Hawke's Bay Today this year that it was the best day's work he had ever done for the region.

He said he didn't like politicians and hated the fact his taxes were going towards Auckland roads.

Mr Nicholas bought his farm when he was 21, and started farming with 28 sheep. The stock count on the 948ha property this year was 2800 sheep and 500 cattle.

Mr Nicholas and his wife had two sons, Oliver and Edward.