The burnt-out vehicle was located on Sunday morning on Waiotahe Valley Road. Photo: SUPPLIED / NZ Police
Police investigating the death of gang boss Steven Taiatini in Ōpōtiki are seeking information about a burnt-out vehicle.
It comes as the 45-year-old's tangihanga is being held, drawing an influx of gang members into the town.
Taiatini, who was the president of the Mongrel Mob Barbarians, died following an incident on Saint John Street on Friday 9 June.
The burnt-out vehicle was located on Sunday morning on Waiotahe Valley Road and police believe it was set alight overnight on Saturday.
In a statement, Detective Inspector Lew Warner said investigative staff were conducting extensive inquiries into Taiatini's death, including whether there was any connection with the vehicle.
"We acknowledge that the incident is concerning to the wider community and police will maintain a strong presence in the town during and after the tangi."
He said additional staff had been brought in to provide extra support, and they were monitoring the large number of gang members who had come into town following Taiatini's death.
Police would not tolerate unlawful behaviour and anyone who was concerned for their safety should call 111 immediately, he said.
There has been an "influx" of people, some gang members, arriving in Ōpōtiki to farewell Steven Taiatini, the mayor said. Photo: By Ulrich Lange, Dunedin, New Zealand - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ōpōtiki mayor David Moore earlier told RNZ he had been working closely with leaders from local iwi Whakatōhea and police over the past few days.
He told Morning Report there had been an "influx of people paying their respects from out of town", which he acknowledged was intimidating for some residents.
"There is heightened anxiety, there are numbers of gang members from out of town here but ... Mr Taiatini's family are grieving, the whānau needs their time to go through this process."
Some schools in the area had chosen to close temporarily, a decision Moore said was due to their proximity to the tangi's location.
"It is literally on the boundary of number of schools; it's a small community, there's family members at every single school ... we all have links to each other," he said.
"The schools have made the choice on their own, the ones that have decided to shut, we have to respect that, and those that have decided to stay open, everyone respects that as well."
He said the schools in question would assess the situation on a daily basis.
Ōpōtiki mayor David Moore says some schools have chosen to close due to their proximity to the tangi. Photo: Supplied
Asked whether enough was being done to keep the peace, given there had been reports of gunshots and arsons in the area over the past few days, Moore said: "I can't deny that's happened."
However, police were doing "a very good job" and efforts to keep the situation calm had been going on "behind the scenes" since Friday, he said.
"It has heightened everyone's anxiety levels, I guess, and that's rightly so, but the police are doing a very good job and ... we're just doing the best we can."
While the area could "always do with more", he said there was a sufficient police presence in the town at present.
"We're confident we've got enough there and they will resource us more if we need it."
Moore said the media was "hyping-up the rivalry and gang war".
"That's not the reality on the ground here."
There was a gang element in the town, he said, "but this is a member of our community - obviously they're going to have visitors 'cause of their status in that gang".
"We are having an influx of people paying their respects from out of town."
Moore said he had attended the tangi himself to pay his respects, along with local iwi leaders and school leaders.
"They showed great respect - OK, there was a gang presence there but they welcomed us in and there was nothing but respect for us when we went there, and it goes the other way," he said.
"Just because they wear a patch, they are still members of our community and they are people."
Police want to speak to anyone who has knowledge of the burnt-out vehicle, or who had seen anything suspicious in the area.
Anyone with information was asked to contact police via 105 or online and to reference file number: 230610/2652. Information could also be reported anonymously on on 0800 555 111.
