Police encouraged by community behaviour during summer influx

JULIA WADE

31 Jan, 2022

As the sun set on 2021, the new year in east Kaipara began generally peacefully with police saying they experienced a fair amount of friendly contact with revellers and holiday makers.

Although away on leave over the festive period ‘for a change’, Wellsford Sergeant, Rainier Coetzee says there were very few issues in the area.

“The ship was kept very much on course… all the credit goes to the hard work of the police officers stationed at both the Wellsford and Mangawhai police stations as well as the ongoing support of our communities.”

Throughout the Mangawhai summer holiday season police have been pleased with the general behaviour of visitors and locals alike, Waitemata rural response manager Senior Sergeant Roger Small says.

“Despite such a challenging 2021, we did not see mass stupidity or over-celebration of 2021 being behind us,” he says. “The New Years period saw everyone having a great time with only a couple of minor incidents and officers report they had a lot of positive dealings with people, even though some were road policing education and infringements.”

East Kaipara ‘had a different vibe’ around New Years Small says, due to the cancellation of the popular Northern Bass music festival, which draws thousands to local towns, as well as the postponed Matakana Hidden Valley event, changed from New Years to January 02.

“Mangawhai seemed to attract a slightly younger group this year with the 15-18-year-old bracket being the most prominent, and what has been more prevalent is the number of teenagers wandering the streets through to about 4am,” he says. “This is a massive risk as Mangawhai footpaths and street lighting, along with youth and alcohol, meant drivers needed to be very vigilant.”

Tragically, New Zealand’s official holiday season ended with 17 people dying on the roads with many more injured through the official holiday period, between December 24 2021 and January 05 2022, with Wellsford police attending the sad incident in Omaha, where a youth was run over and killed. According to Water Safety New Zealand, 14 people also drowned in New Zealand’s waterways this holiday season including a 4-year-old child in Kai Iwi Lakes and a woman on Mangawhai’s coastline.

“Drownings across New Zealand beaches has, in the warmer weather, seen a very sad and avoidable spike,” Small says. “Anecdotally, police also saw an increase in the Wellsford/Mangawhai/Kaipara area in family harm type incidents, but this is likely attributed to Covid-19 and lockdowns, which we believe was a national trend.”

“The New Years period saw everyone having a great time with only a couple of minor incidents…”