“Today, two Tauranga men were arrested. A 39-year-old has been charged with assault, while a 44-year-old has been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
“They are due to appear in the Tauranga District Court on 5 September. Police are continuing to investigate the incident and more arrests are expected.”
Two rival groups – both claiming to be the legitimate managers of the Tauranga Sikh temple – have agreed to mediation after the confrontation, which involved baseball bats and other weapons.
According to a statement by the Tauranga Sikh Society, the temple had been booked for a private function that evening.
It said there had been an ongoing management dispute at the temple for the past three years between two groups, each claiming management rights to the temple.
While members of one group were having a meeting, members from the other group started arriving.
Tensions escalated and a physical altercation broke out between the two groups, resulting in injuries.
Two men have been charged after a brawl at a Sikh temple in Tauranga.
Daljit Singh, the president of the NZ Central Sikh Association, which is the other party involved in the management dispute, said the brawl started as a result of “a misunderstanding”.
He said the two parties were close to a management agreement on running the temple after discussions that had been going on since 2021.
“What happened on the day was that some people, who did not understand what had already been discussed, started showing their anger,” he said.
“We don’t condone any violence, and it’s unfortunate that something like this had to happen in our place of worship.
