Eastern Bay of Plenty Acting Area Commander Tristan Murray said police were well on top of the situation in Ōpōtiki. Photo: Krzysztof Golik / CC BY-SA 4.0
Anxiety levels are high in the eastern Bay of Plenty town of Ōpōtiki as gang members ride in for the tangi of Mongrel Mob Barbarians president Steven Taiatini.
Eight schools have closed their gates over safety concerns and 100 extra police will be brought in from Wednesday, in addition to the current team working on the homicide investigation.
Ōpōtiki Primary School principal Tony Howe said parents were worried about the risk of gang violence.
"Yesterday, we were open and we've got 295 students at school and we only had 110 turn up ... and then some [students were] picked up during the day ... it was just worry, but we're hopeful nothing does happen, so it's more precautionary and hopefully we'll be back on deck on Thursday.
"The mob have been present for a long time in Ōpōtiki for a long, long and they're generally very well behaved. We've got gang parents at our school and they come along, support their kids like anyone else, and come to interviews, so generally speaking there is no issue."
Māori Warden Te Owai Gemmell said Ōpōtiki College, which was closed until Monday, was across the road from Taiatini's family home.
"And right next door is the early childhood centre, and straight opposite that is the Ashbrook school ... the kids have to go past there, there's cars parked up all around, it was full up yesterday, they had to block that road off."
Gang members were entitled to pay their respects, Gemmell said.
"A lot of them are coming in on bikes and they're also really respectful.
"As we were going down the street on one part there, we knew it was them because they were wearing their colours, and they pulled up and waited 'til we went past, so they're not causing any havoc that aware of."
Mayor David Moore said he had been working with the gangs, local police, and iwi to keep the peace during the mourning.
"We've been working very hard, this is a process to try and keep some calm and also to get some reassurance.
"It has heightened everyone's anxiety levels, I guess, and that's rightly so, but the police are doing a very good job. We're just doing the best we can."
Eastern Bay of Plenty Acting Area Commander Tristan Murray said police were well on top of it and there was no danger to students.
"I guess what's alarming for the community is just the large numbers of gang members gathering, which unfortunately when you have a funeral of this sort of level, you're going to get a big gang presence, and we acknowledge that's alarming for the community and that's why we've brought in quite substantial extra police resourcing."
Murray told Checkpoint they had not asked schools to close, and were not concerned about any active threat.
However, he said they had warned gangs about retaliation to Taiatini's death.
"Our communication with the gangs is that if they step out of line, the New Zealand police will be taking action against them, there's no ifs or buts around that, so it's been made very clear to them and we have sufficient resources here to suppress any activity to the contrary."
Taiatini will be buried in Whakatāne tomorrow.
Police investigating his death are also appealing for any information about a burnt-out vehicle which was found on Sunday morning on Waiotahe Valley Road.
