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Police have stopped a man in New Plymouth from collecting money for the victims of Victoria's bushfires without proper authorisation.
Australian Jack "Outback Jack" Hywood - who has lived in Waitara for two years - was yesterday stopped by police from collecting money in New Plymouth for bushfire victims, the Taranaki Daily News reported.
Dressed in a Driza-Bone coat and armed with a plastic bucket with the Red Cross appeal number on it, Mr Hywood collected more than $100 in less than an hour before he was approached by police who wanted to know if he had a permit to collect money.
The police escorted Mr Hywood to the ANZ Bank where he deposited $117.80 into the Red Cross bank account.
Acting Senior Sergeant Kayanna Holley said the public had to be sure that they were giving to a legitimate appeal.
"He needed to be acting on the authority of the Red Cross. If he had gone to them and spoken to them first it would have been all sweet."
A Te Puke woman yesterday dropped a separate appeal for the victims at the request of the Red Cross.
Nichola Turner aimed to collect donated goods in the town this weekend, truck them to Auckland with her husband's firm and fly them to Australia, Newstalk ZB reported.
But she said the Red Cross contacted her after seeing her on TV saying they were already overwhelmed by huge donations of goods and were appealing instead for money.
- NZPA
