Mother and daughter mourned; man in hospital

Jeff Pipe took a bullet in his back, then managed to escape in his car while another bullet broke his windscreen.

Behind him a mother and daughter lay dead, shot when they turned up for a property inspection in rural Northland.

Wendy Campbell Rodgers and her daughter Natanya Campbell were gunned down as they arrived at the property on Wednesday to carry out repairs.

Pipe, originally from Christchurch, managed to drive down Mt Tiger Rd, where police helped him. He is in a stable condition in Whangarei Hospital.

A post shared to Facebook described how Wendy and Natanya were ‘‘stripped from their families, their friends and relatives’’.

Wendy, originally from Invercargill, worked for Seek n Find Property Management, based out of the home where she lived with her husband, Tony.

Julie Pepper, who was a close friend of Wendy’s, said she had been at the scene as the bodies were removed yesterday afternoon.

She had joined about 80 people on the property – family and friends of the victims – trying to comfort each other over a ‘‘tough couple of hours’’. ‘‘Obviously I’m very upset about it and in disbelief. You know it’s happened but you just can’t fathom it, and it’s very, very hard news to accept and understand.’’

She said Tony was being ‘‘well supported’’ by friends, family members and his church.

Wendy’s neighbours said they were shocked to learn she and her daughter were the victims of the shooting.

Natanya, 37, who had lived in tiny rural Mitimiti until moving to Whangarei three years ago, has left behind four daughters.

Whangarei mayor Sheryl Mai expressed her shock and disbelief upon hearing of the ‘‘ghastly’’ incident, and extended her support to the families and communities affected.

Pipe escaped with his life after managing to reach one of the police cordons in his red four-wheel drive.

A bullet hole could be seen in its windscreen. The local contractor’s family did not wish to speak about the tragic incident when approached for comment.

Friend Tim Boyd described Pipe as an ‘‘absolute classic Kiwi bloke’’.

Pipe bought his home from Boyd about two years ago after he moved to Northland from Christchurch. The pair have since become friends.

Boyd didn’t hear of the shootings until yesterday morning when his daughter asked him if Pipe had been involved.

‘‘She said ‘does he drive a red Suzuki?’,’’ Boyd said. ‘‘I said ‘yes he does’ and she said, ‘well it’s got bullet holes in the windscreen’.’’

Boyd wasn’t sure how Pipe or his wife, Valerie, were doing in the aftermath of the shootings because he hadn’t been in touch with either of them yet.

He said Pipe was a ‘‘really decent family man’’. Pipe had been shot twice in the back and shoulder, Boyd said.