Whangārei businessman Zee Tana said crime in the city is getting out of control, and hopes new community group Whangārei Stand Up will be able to put enough pressure on the Government and political leaders to make real changes to solve the problems.
Whangārei businessman Zee Tana said crime in the city is getting out of control, and hopes new community group Whangārei Stand Up will be able to put enough pressure on the Government and political leaders to make real changes to solve the problems.
Whangārei residents concerned about violent crime have formed a group to protest the situation.
Plans are in the pipeline for a mass march through the city as a way to send a message to the country’s leaders that “enough is enough”.
Business owners Raquel and Mike - who did not want their surnames used - started the Whangārei Stand Up Facebook group on Monday in response to what they see as a rise in crime and people living in fear that they could become victims.
The pair were blown away when more than 2300 people joined the page within 48 hours.
They said the response indicated just how many people are upset about crime and are wanting to do something about it.
A tangi for the 25-year-old, who was reportedly killed while helping a woman being robbed at an ATM, is being held in Whangārei tomorrow.
Since being named, it has come to light that Perkinson had previously been convicted of manslaughter.
In 2016, the then 18-year-old received three years and two months jail after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of Whangārei man Michael Patrick Griffin.
Elias Pomare, then 18, pleaded guilty to the murder of Griffin and received a life sentence.
Despite his past, a family member described Perkinson as “such a good-hearted man with a true soul”.
He described him as “hardworking” and “generous” and said he was always “a protector”.
Police are yet to make any arrests in relation to Perkinson’s death.
However, Northland District Crime Manager Detective Inspector Dene Begbie said police were making positive progress in the homicide investigation.
Mike had been angered by an Advocate story on Monday, where a Whangārei District councillor quoted Whangārei MP Emily Henderson as having said statistically the town was not unsafe and Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo said he believed issues of crime and violence had been intensified by the stress people had found themselves under because of the pandemic.
The stabbing death of a man at Raumanga’s Gull Service Station on Saturday was the final straw for many Whangārei residents, who have set up a new group to pressure the Government to make real changes to stem the rising tide of crime Photo / NZME
He and Raquel hope to organise a march in which 10,000 people take part to show the Government “enough is enough”.
Tana is considering selling up as the incident was the third or fourth time the neighbouring service station had fallen foul to crime.
Tana does not want his staff nor himself exposed to such danger at work.
He said there are many vulnerable people in the city - including the deaf, disabled and elderly - who were feeling very scared, and are in need of help and support, and to know steps were being taken to keep them safe.
He hoped Whangārei Stand Up would lead to real and positive changes that would make the city safe for everybody.
Mike, Raquel and Tana fully supported police but felt their hands were tied.
They believed it was up to the community to put pressure on the Government to get more officers and more support for social services that deal with the youth and victims of crime.
Cocurullo said he completely understood the community’s sense of frustration and the “impotence being felt“.
“…We’re still reeling from the shock of Saturday night’s events. I can understand the sense of helplessness and fear.
”I support grass-roots community-led initiatives, and when it’s the safety of our own family, friends, and colleagues on the cards - yes, we should all be standing up and taking action.”
But what that action should be was the big question, Cocurullo said.
“Let me be clear: we do not want vigilante groups, we do not want anyone taking the law into their own hands.
“We need to be safe, co-operative and coordinated if we want to make a real difference within our community.”
