US Solidiers Robbed in Kaikoura

Yes that's right - Kaikoura, not Kandahar.

Kaikoura is a popular seaside town in New Zealand, and setting-off point for whale watching trips. But Kaikoura has been having a rough time of it recently what with visitors getting beaten up on the streets and seals being clubbed to death.

Now we hear that two American soldiers, Eli and Tonia Gerhard, lost a large amount of property when their rental car was robbed.

Following the theft police used a search warrant to enter a local address and “recovered a “substantial amount” of property” according to the Kaikoura Star.

The couple had decided to take a holiday in New Zealand, away from the crime and strife of war ravaged Afghanistan where they'd both been posted. What a bad choice New Zealand turned out to be for them.

From the Marlborough Express:

They had hoped to leave behind the air of crime and mistrust of Afghanistan and enjoy what should have been a relaxing holiday in a country which is generally considered a safe haven.
“This sort of thing does nothing for tourism.”
Constable Dean Schroder of Kaikoura agrees.
“This is a senseless targeting of tourists in Kaikoura. It does nothing for our image. The damage this sort of crime does to our region far outweighs the value of the property stolen.”…
…Items stolen included a small laptop, a Toshiba notebook, a fisheye lens for their Canon camera, a video camera and a couple of hard drives with all their holiday photos as well as all Mr Gerhard’s footage of Afghanistan – he has a helmet mounted camera with which he has recorded many of his missions.
“There is some pretty explicit s**t in there – almost three hours of mission videos,” he says. “But I doubt they will even look at it to realise – they will probably just delete everything.” read the full report here

According to another report a

“man aged 19 and a woman aged 23 are due to appear in the Kaikoura District Court on January 21 in relation to the theft.
Police were called to the Presbyterian Church on Deal St over the weekend after windows in the church were found broken. Mr Schroder believed the breakages were as a result of stone throwing and occurred on Thursday or Friday night last week. An amount of steel was stolen from the railway yard on Edmund Ave on Thursday night.
A pallet full of plates, often used to weight craypots down, and some cut-up railway iron was stolen.” read the full report here

The message here, as always is when in New Zealand never leave anything unattended in your car or camper van that you don’t want to lose.

Just how much of the couple’s property has been recovered isn’t clear but we hope they manage get it all back. Next time they have a much needed furlough  we also hope they chose somewhere more secure to vacation than New Zealand, where it seems a great many tourists are falling victim to crime recently.

Other stories you may be interested in:-
Suffolk couple put emigration plans on hold after experiencing NZ’s crime:

“Today’s Herald is reporting on British couple Dean and Tabitha Forbes who lost most of their possessions whilst on a pre-emigration trip to Auckland, New Zealand…”

British Migrants Robbed:

“”An English family who came to New Zealand to make a fresh start were left with only the clothes on their backs when their motel was burgled two days after they arrived.
Dawn and Conrad Tutin and their children Stephanie, 14, and Kiel, 12, arrived from Nottingham a week ago to begin a new life in Auckland, where Mr Tutin will work for Fisher & Paykel…””

More British tourists robbed, no gold for New Plymouth:

“Earlier today we wrote about honeymooning couple Simon and Sabine Greenslade whose campervan was robbed of outside of Auckland Zoo, losing most of their holiday and honeymooning photographs amongst other possessions.
We’ve also heard about another young British couple, Jake Graham and Jess Kelly,whose campervan was also broken into and who lost almost everything they owned in New Plymouth yesterday afternoon…”

Other stories you may find interesting
Honeymoon couple lose precious photos, no ‘gold medal’ in Auckland

US rowing team member  robbed, world rowing championships 2010 in Queenstown

Czech Tourist, Jan Fakotor, Stabbed In Motueka
English tourist mugged in Gisborne
Chilean tourist punched, robbed in Nelson
A group of students that were beaten and robbed whilst on a treasure hunt at the Hundertwasser toilets in Kawakawa, Northland
A series of random, unprovoked attacks in Queenstown
Previous robbery of British tourists at Kerosene Creek
Tourists robbed at Kerosene Creek
Three French tourists beaten and robbed in their campervan in Mangamuka, Northland - police have yet to resolve this crime

A family of Swiss tourists that were assaulted and racially abused in Kaitaia, Northland
Anke Kuballa and Marc Busch from Germany who were robbed in Whangarei, Northland
A family of five robbed at the roadside whilst camping in their van at Oturere Stream, 25km south of Turangi
Two German tourists attacked in Paihia, Northland
Two American tourists were robbed at Shipwreck Bay in Northland whilst sandboarding

Asian woman, (probably Japanese) age 22, raped in her room by 2 teenagers in a home invasion in Opotiki, Northland

Three Chinese tourists attacked and robbed at Te paki, 90 Mile Beach, Northland, by two men they’d stopped to help
French tourist Anthony Cressend, beaten and robbed at campsite in Ahipara, Northland
Two Australian tourists robbed at knifepoint for their holiday money in Te Puke, SE of Tauranga.
Japanese tourist age 23 (female) kidnapped, robbed and assaulted in Rotorua by four men
French tourist (male) raped at gunpoint near Opotiki,

American peace corp twins Adam and Alex Rahmlow, 21 were robbed of all their possessions by a man they tried to help in Amberley, Christchurch.
Dutch couple raped and robbed on a campsite in Tuatapere, NW of Invercargill, whilst on their honeymoon. (Dutch govt. issued a travel warning about NZ)
Two Koreans were attacked and robbed of their possession which included a laptop computer by a man claiming to be a gang member in Blenheim.
British tourist worker sexually assaulted near Hururu Falls, Northland when she was dragged off a walking track.
Canadian tourist Jeremie Kawerninski, kidnapped, assaulted and robbed in Lower Hutt, Wellington
Dutch couple robbed and sexually attacked Haruru Falls, Northland whilst on honeymoon.
Two British women robbed and raped in their campervan at Tokomaru Bay, north of Gisborne.
Japanese tourist subjected to a prolonged and brutal sex attack in a communal area of a backpacker’s hostel in Turangi, Taupo.
Scottish woman Karen Aim brutally murdered by a youth in Taupo.
German woman Birgit Brauer murdered near New Plymouth.
Korean man Jae Hyeon Kim decapitated with a spade by white supremacist.
Japanese tourist robbed at gunpoint in Oamaru.
Irish cycle tourist Paul Mack bashed, robbed and urinated on throughout his NZ tour.
6 English and Danish tourists attacked and stabbed in Cashel Mall, Christchurch for having “foreign accents.”
Irish man Robby O’Brien beaten up in Westport.
Russian couple Denis Khotchenko and Lera Nesterova beaten and robbed in Milford, Auckland
English woman knifed and sexually assaulted in a toilet block at an A1 motor camp in Kaikoura
American campers Patrick Dykstra and Kelsey McGinley beaten and robbed at Whangarei Falls, Northland.
Australian tourist sexually assaulted on a street in broad daylight in Nelson.
Australian tourist subjected to a sex attack by Maia Crawford Rongonui whilst walking home to a backpackers in Christchurch.
Canadian tourist left with a fractured skull outside Silver Fern backpackers in Taupo.
Dutch tourist beaten and robbed at Lake Rotorua.
British man Paul Speakman and his young son beaten and robbed in a campervan at Athenree Gorge, Katikati.
Chinese woman attacked for speaking Chinese on a train approaching Petone.
Scottish visitor Stuart Martin who was left in a coma and with a boot print on his face after a street bashing in Taradale, Christchurch.

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Another Old Person Injured In A Home Invasion

Another elderly person has been beaten-up in a home invasion in New Zealand, this time in The Avenues, Tauranga, a town that is popular with retired people.

Police were called to the man’s home by a concerned relative. He is thought to be in his 80s, and has serious head injuries. He was taken to hospital today where he is now said to be in a critical condition. We wish him well and hope he makes a full recovery.

Two weeks ago a 93 year old grandmother, Gwendoline Samson, was attacked in her home in Papakura, but fortunately she managed to successfully fight off her assailant without suffering any major injuries but it was the second time she’d suffered such an assault.

Police have yet to catch the thugs who smashed the face of another Tauranga grandmother. 65 Year old Mary Loader was severely injured when a half full beer bottle was thrown at her from a passing car one morning. She was out picking fruit at the time and the attack was completely unprovoked. See Tauranga grandmother in coma after bottle attack.

Update:
Later news reports are that the injured man has died and a man has been arrested in connection with his death. A homicide investigation is currently underway, read more here. Our deepest condolences go out to the victim's wife and family.

We’ve said before that one may judge the character of a society by how it treats the weak, the vulnerable, the most easily forgotten. Abuse of the young and the old is widespread in NZ and may not be such a great place for older people to retire in. Other recent attacks on elderly people include:

• A Racist attack on elderly man in Hastings

• Gaynor Alice White, 62, battered to death with a hammer by an intruder in her home in Parkland, Christchurch

• A 72 year old man left shaken and bruised after being robbed at gunpoint at his home in Beerescourt Rd Road, Hamilton

• An 82 year old woman kidnapped and robbed whilst shopping on W.Tamaki Road, Auckland

• Grandmother Barabara Julian, battered to death by an intruder in her Kaitaia home

• Lois Dear, 66, murdered and sexually assulted in her classroom at Tokoroa primary school

• An elderly woman was physically and sexually assulted in her Eltham home

• Retired teacher John Rowe, murdered by two teenage girls in his Opotiki home

• An 83 year old woman who was assaulted and her home set fire to in Howick

• An elderly couple who were hopsitalized after a home invasion in New Plymouth

• An elderly man kicked to the ground and assaulted by a truck driver in Manukau

• An 85 year old man badly beaten during a home invasion at his Bethesda Village retirement home in Wiri.

• 86 year old Patricia Burrows was left with a fractured pelvis, cuts and bruises after she was mugged in a Christchurch shopping mall

• Yin Ping Yang, 80, died following a savage attack during a home invasion in Manurewa East that lasted for several hours.

• A 99 year old woman who was sexually assaulted in her Palmerston North home and died in hospital

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Another Armed Offenders Call Out In NZ - Auckland

It’s been a busy period for the Armed Offenders Squad.

Three  days ago there was an armed robbery of a pub in Point Chev that led to an AOS stand off in the residential area of Flatbush, 20kms away.

Then this morning they cordoned off roads and surrounded a house in Pakuranga Road, South Auckland. Witnesses said the police were negotiating with a person holed-up in a property. The incident is thought to have ended without injury or loss of life. See “Another dickhead on the lose in Panmure“

The day finished with call out to the North Shore suburb of Hllcrest, another quiet residential area:

“About 20 police officers including members of the armed offenders and dog squad were seen packing down and leaving from Coronation Rd at 4.10pm. Police earlier received a report about a man waving a rifle in the area around 2pm, detective Shane Page says.
The police Eagle helicopter and patrol cars surveyed the area and access to part of Coronation Rd and nearby Velma Rd and McFetridge Pl was blocked. Road blocks forced some students from surrounding schools to take a longer route home. Nearby Marlborough Primary and Sunnybrae Normal Schools were on lock down as a precaution until the end of the school day. “

Is there something in the water, or is this just the silly season for nutters with guns? There’s thought to be at least 1.1 legally owned million firearms in New Zealand so the odds are that something, or someone, is going to kick-off sooner or later.
See also:
Family row led to shots being fired from house -  “A Pukehina Beach man at the centre of an armed police seige after he fired several gun shots has been sentenced to 100 hours’ community work and six months’ supervision. Shaun Albert Cockburn, 39, who earlier pleaded guilty to charges of discharging a firearm near a house was sentenced in Tauranga District Court yesterday.” 23 June 2010

Armed police called out in Southland – “An Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) call-out, an unprovoked assault which left a man unconscious, and an aggravated dairy robbery at knife point kept Invercargill police busy overnight.  At 8.50pm police received a 111 call from Bluff, reporting that a man with a weapon was threatening to kill the two other people at a property — another man and a woman.” 10 June 2010

Police seek man after armed offenders called out - “Police say the AOS was sent out on Saturday morning to a rural property where it was thought there had been an altercation between a man and his nephew. They say the women who called them had fled the house saying she had fears for a young man after her partner had assaulted him and threatened him with a firearm.” 15 May 2010
Norsewood gunman puts lower North Island into lockdown – “Residents of the lower north island towns of Dannevirke, Ormondville and Takapau have been advised to stay inside, lock their doors and stay away from windows after a body was found in a car abandoned by a gunman on the run. Police closed State Highway 2 between Norsewood and Waipukurau while they hunted for the man who had also fired at police and shot at a farm worker, injuring him in the arm. The offender was described as a European, aged 46 and highly dangerous. He was later named as David John Bourke from Wanganui.” 5 October 2009

Armed sieges and gun politics in NZ – “An armed stand-off in Chaucer Road South, Napier that started yesterday morning continues into today. A routine cannabis bust went horribly wrong when the suspect, Jan Molenaar, shot dead policeman Len Snee, 53 and critically injured 3 other people yesterday in the small tourist town of Napier, famed for its art deco architecture. Len Snee was the fifth police officer to have been shot dead since the Aramoana massacre of 1990 and one of 29 officers to have died as a result of a criminal act in New Zealand.” 7 May 2009

Armed robberies in NZ

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Chinese Dairy Owner Stabbed In Napier

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Napier was buzzing yesterday when parts of the town were closed off following the stabbing of a dairy owner on Latham Street. People on the Trademe boards identified the business as the Vigor Brown Dairy, owned by a Chinese family:

“It was the Vigor Brown dairy. There is nothing to see, the shop is now shut. And if you look at the photo on the news online it is that one.
My sister near ran over the guy at Marewa as he was being chased by cops he slid off his bicycle and went under her car before she could get out to see if he was ok he had taken off again with cops chasing behind!
My thoughts go out to the man and his family. Last I heard he was in stable condition.”

Official news reports simply stated:

“Napier police are hunting a man after a dairy owner was stabbed during a robbery this morning.
The Latham Street dairy was robbed about 11am, Napier police said.
They would not confirm that a person had been stabbed but said a knife may have been involved.
A photographer at the scene told NZPA the dairy owner was taken away by an ambulance and a trail of blood was visible in the dairy.
Police were searching for a “skinny” Maori man wearing dark pants, a blue hoodie with white writing on the sleeves and white shoes.”

Reports today confirmed that the man was a Chinese national in his 40s and that he was stabbed in the neck and shoulder and cut on the head.

Our thoughts go out to the injured man and his family, we wish him a full and speedy recovery.
Unfortunately armed robbery has become a widespread problem in New Zealand, hardly a day goes by without one happening somewhere, a symptom of a society with a wide gulf between the haves and the have nots.

The attack came two days after a number of Asian people were held-up at knife point when a man went on the rampage in the Christchurch suburb of Riccarton see here for details

We keep a list of all the armed hold-ups we get to hear about, you can find it here

Despite propaganda to the contrary Crime rates in New Zealand are very high. Says who? well the OECD for one. They say “New Zealand is second only to Ireland in 26 OECD countries in internationally comparable data on vehicle, theft and contact crimes. 22% of New Zealanders experienced such a crime in a 12-month period, compared to an OECD average of 16%.”

You’re far more likely to experience this type of crime in New Zealand than in almost any other country in the OECD.

In 2009 crime in New Zealand rose by 3.5 percent, there were 9% more violent offences – over 65,000. There were 65 murders, up 25% over the previous year, the highest figure for 10 years 10 years.  Serious assaults were  up 6% and minor assaults increased nearly 12% source

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Pregnant Woman Threatened With Knife During New Plymouth Armed Robbery

It’s shocking that a pregnant woman was threatened with a knife during another armed robbery in New Plymouth yesterday, one of many to have hit the town over the years.

The attack was also one of the hundreds of armed robberies in New Zealand that we’ve been keeping an eye on over the last year and a half. Hardly a day goes by without one and they’re happening in all sorts of premises – banks, post shops, corner stores, hairdressers, supermarkets, clubs, bars, brothels…

Our thoughts and best wishes for a speedy recovery go to Mrs Sarah Fergusson. She was  one of quite a few people to have been threatened with a weapon during a robbery in the last two weeks.

On May 2 the Gloriana Dairy in the suburb of Highbury, Palmerston North was held up by a youth gang with a long barelled firearm that threatened the owners and customers link

Then on May 4 we wrote about a very brave young girl who stayed calm and phoned for help, as a gang of youths held a gun to her father’s head and threatened her mother when they robbed their Belt Road Dairy, New Plymouth. Their business had been held up numerous times over the last 4 years. link

Leighton Keith in the Taranaki News wrote this about the latest hold-up:

“A pregnant woman was threatened with a knife during the robbery of New Plymouth’s Whopping Big carrot yesterday.
The armed youth entered the shop and demanded cash from owner Sarah Fergusson, who is 20 weeks pregnant, about 10.55am.
A 16-year-old New Plymouth boy has been arrested and charged with aggravated robbery and will appear in the Youth Court today.
Mrs Fergusson’s husband Neil was across the road getting stock when the robbery happened but saw the offender sprinting off down the road.
“I thought something is weird with that,” Mr Fergusson said.
Sarah was on the telephone to police when he got back.
“She was a nervous wreck.
“She thought it was a joke to start with.
“She heard someone say give me the money and then she saw the guy was holding a knife,” he said.
His wife ran behind the counter and handed the till draw to the man who grabbed the notes and ran off.
Mr Fergusson said the couple had worked in retail for more than 15 years and were aware how they should behave during a robbery.
“Your life is more important than the money,” Mr Fergusson said…more

Hold-ups for far this month include a Bank robber who used taxis for raids in TIMARU yesterday
17 May: Kiwibank, East HAMILTON, “aggressive robber” robbed teller at gun point, noon link
14 May: National Bank, Hornby, CHRISTCHURCH, two men with knife, 1.15pm link
14 May: TAB Bar, Mount Albert, AUCKLAND, gunman held up staff at 9.30am link
11 May: Paetiki Super Value supermarket, TAUPO, man with “short rifle” took money from shop worker, night time robbery link
11 May: Armourguard Van, TSB Bank, AUCKLAND, no info on weapons link
11 May: Taxi Driver, NEW PLYMOUTH, held up by three men, long barrelled firearm, 10.30pm link
11 May: Store in Matarangi, CROMOMANDEL, man with gun, noon link
6 May: Bollywood Star Indian Restaurant, GISBORNE, 9.30am. Man with knife link
2 May: Belt Road Dairy, NEW PLYMOUTH, Robbers held gun to a father’s head and also threatened his wife link
2 May: Gloriana Dairy, PALMERSTON NORTH, robbed at gun point link

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Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• Indian Student Attacked In New Plymouth No Longer Feels Safe In New Zealand
• Pimping Kids in New Plymouth
• Clendon Armed Robbery

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Rights Of The Victim V. Rights Of The Accused In New Zealand

Or “The Nerds Strike Back”-  Birkenhead Burglars, Burglary in New Zealand; one citizen’s attempt to achieve justice when the law failed him.



Why didn’t the police do the investigation work that Dave Crowther did? they could have found and detained the thieves without the embarrassment of  Mr Crowther having to resort to using the internet to track them down.

Are burglaries on the North Shore so frequent that police have given up trying to apprehend the culprits?

For background see our New Zealand Crime Information and Statistics page and recent stories about vigilante action in New Zealand.

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Another Armed Robbery In Palmerston North

New Zealand's violent crime epidemic continues with yesterday's gun point robbery at a Palmerston North dairy (corner shop) by four youths in their mid to late teens. It follows Sunday's robbery of a New Plymouth dairy by a gang of five teenagers and this morning's Armed Offenders Squad call out to an armed man sighted at a Gisborne shopping centre.

A NZPA report said

Four masked men have robbed a Palmerston North dairy at gunpoint, threatening the owners and an elderly customer.

Police are today still searching for the men who burst into the Gloriana Dairy in the suburb of Highbury about 7.40pm last night, their faces covered with hoodies and clothing.

One of the men threatened the male and female shop owners, and an elderly woman who came into the shop, with a long-barrelled firearm.

They stole the cash register and a quantity of tobacco before fleeing and eluding a police cordon.

The offenders would not have got more than few hundred dollars in cash and a similar value of tobacco, said Detective Sergeant David Clifford.

The firearm has not yet been recovered. Police were trying to identify the offenders by going through security camera footage. They may have been in their mid- to late-teens, he said.

The Association of Community Retailers (ACR) today linked the robbery with the Government's sudden hike in tobacco tax last week.

"They don't need to rob a bank for a mere $5000 when it's easier to rob a dairy of double that amount of value in tobacco products," said tobacco spokesman Richard Green.

Someone had also tried to break into his own Palmerston North Discount Tobacco business early on Sunday morning, he said.

A Ministry of Health proposal to outlaw tobacco displays would also make things worse for tobacco retailers, he said.

"It will be nothing for a couple of criminals to walk into my shop, close the door, assault me and steal my tobacco stock -- all without being seen because my windows will have to be blacked out under the new rules."

But regardless of the cost of tobacco, banks are still seen as easy targets.

This was evidenced by last week's armed hold-ups of the Wespac Bank in Blockhouse Bay and the ASB Bank at Three Kings Plazza, at the end of April. They were latest in an epidemic of bank robberies that's hit New Zealand in recent years.

During 2009 there were 84 Armed Robberies just in banks in New Zealand and hundreds more in dairies, clubs, pharmacies, hairdressers, video shops and other premises.


Much of the increase in armed robbery has been attributed to rising poverty levels in New Zealand, an increase in substance (drugs and alcohol) abuse and mental health problems.

Alcohol offences skyrocketed in Palmerston North during 2009, up from 87 to 409 on the previous year and the Salvation Army issued 1880 food parcels to more than 1130 Palmerston North families in the year to March.

For background see:

• Armed robberies reach historic level

• Armed robbery and drugs, 80% or more smoke weed in Gisborne, 14 April 2010:

"The rise in violent crime in New Zealand continues unabated today with three more armed hold-ups. The first was at the Balance Street Village pharmacy in Gisborne at 8pm yesterday by a man with a handgun who escaped with a quantity of drugs. The second was at the BNZ bank on Ti Rakau Drive, Manukau where two security guards were robbed by two men wielding a shotgun at 9.50am, that was followed by a pistol wielding thug holding up a Palmerston North branch of Kiwi Bank at 4pm.

After a three year climb armed robberies reached a high in 2009. Armed robbery must be one of fastest growing occupations right now in a country where there are enough firearms for one in four of the population.

There were officially 84 armed hold-ups in NZ banks during 2009. See “Armed Robberies reach historic level“

What’s causing this rise, could it be a massive increase in drug and alcohol abuse?

Drug and alcohol dependency are expensive habits to feed in New Zealand, substance abuse causes severe mental health problems that makes people to do irrational and dangerous things (Look at the thug who bottled a grandmother in Tauranga on Sunday morning, hardly the behaviour of a rational person) unless something is done to curb it violent crime is going to continue its upward trajectory.

Here’s a look at what the residents of Gisborne think about their town’s drug problem and the effects it’s having on their once pleasant community. It may come a surprise to anyone thinking about emigrating to the town ‘looking for a better quality of life’ to find out that New Zealand has these issues and how widespread the problem is...more"

Did you know:
There are currently 362 listings for rifles on the NZ online auction site TradeMe. Isn't it time to curb the sale and ownership of firearms in New Zealand, it seems that everyone has gone one...except the police. See: Police Call for Guns.




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