Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

Te Urewera: Police lay charges over death of hunter Michael William Bennett

Rotorua Daily Post
22 Oct, 2024 02:04 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Paeroa business owner and hunter Michael William Bennett, 63, was fatally shot on December 1, 2023.

Paeroa business owner and hunter Michael William Bennett, 63, was fatally shot on December 1, 2023.

Police have charged a man in relation to a fatal hunting incident in Te Urewera last year.

Michael William Bennett was fatally shot while hunting on December 1.

Bennett, 63, was found dead by a hunting companion. Police responded to a personal locator beacon activation about 2am.

A 50-year-old man has been charged with careless use of a firearm causing death and recklessly discharging a firearm.

He is scheduled to appear in Rotorua District Court on Thursday.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Bennett was a Paeroa construction business owner and was remembered by his family as a “giving” person who would regularly give away meat to friends and family following his hunting expeditions.

A statement from his family provided to the Bay of Plenty Times in December said Bennett, known as Mike or Rambo, was “cherished within both the Paeroa community and his family”.

They described him as “hard-working, driven and passionate” about his farm, his hunting and diving endeavours, and “most importantly his family.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He had a building company, Bennett Developments Ltd, and also ran for the Hauraki District Council in 2022 to provide “a voice for the elderly”.

“Mike was a very giving person, always first to put his hand up to build something for someone, to gift meat from his many hunting trips, and generally help everyone with something one may need.

“He was a loved son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, friend and so much more. Mike was so proud of all his children and grandchildren and loved talking about them to his friends and family.”

Mostly raised in Paeroa, the statement said Bennett was “proud of his small town” and well-known locally.


Save

    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

Waikato Herald

'Please do not do it': Man inflicted intense pain on woman during violation

04 Jul 08:00 AM
Waikato Herald

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM
Waikato Herald

'Shaken' ordeal: Bar worker confronted with gun in Hamilton robbery

04 Jul 01:02 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

'Please do not do it': Man inflicted intense pain on woman during violation
Waikato Herald

'Please do not do it': Man inflicted intense pain on woman during violation

04 Jul 08:00 AM

Judge Tompkins said Michael Mead, 64, posed a 'very high risk' in the future.

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor
Waikato Herald

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM
'Shaken' ordeal: Bar worker confronted with gun in Hamilton robbery
Waikato Herald

'Shaken' ordeal: Bar worker confronted with gun in Hamilton robbery

04 Jul 01:02 AM
'A f****** ugly mess': Gang boss' text after fatal hotbox attack on mate of 20 years
Waikato Herald

'A f****** ugly mess': Gang boss' text after fatal hotbox attack on mate of 20 years

04 Jul 12:24 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP