Police still investigating NY riot
No new arrests made, but CCTV footage being checked to identify perpetrators
Police have not made any further arrests in connection to a New Year’s Eve riot that left a Whangamata¯ cafe with a damaged roof and raided freezers. A spokesman for Blackies Cafe has described the chaos at the scene on the night, during which hordes of young partiers gathered in the Coromandel town and sparked alcohol and drug-fuelled disorder incidents.
He said the cafe’s freezers had been broken into, and between $10,000 and 15,000 worth of product stolen by out-of-control revellers.
Police arrested 23 people in the Whangamata¯ area over New Year in relation to disorder incidents. One person — a 54-year-old man — was charged with inciting disorder on a social media livestream.
The man’s charge has been linked to the incident at Blackies Cafe.
A least a dozen people mounted the cafe roof, while crowds below them cheered and whistled above the thrum of music. Bottles were also hurled down at police by some of those who had mounted the roof.
The cafe spokesman said he arrived on the scene about 10pm.
“I came down and it was just a free for all, basically.”
He estimated the number of young people present to be in the low thousands. “It was a pretty gnarly situation, you know.”
He felt “intimidated” by the wild crowds.
Insurance would cover the cost of replacing the damaged roof, he said.
Every morning across the New Year period he and other staff had to show up to work early to clean up the mess left behind by those who had been partying, which included nitrous oxide canisters and small plastic bags.
This was common every New Year period, he said.
“Nothing’s going to happen . . . it’s not going to change.”
He said there was little support for small businesses to deal with such things, but he praised staff at the cafe for pulling together and dealing with the damage and mess, as well as the community for their support.
Thames-Coromandel District Mayor Sandra Goudie said the rioters were nothing but “self-indulgent brats” who had been drinking at home and emerged to cause trouble later when they were “bored”.
A police spokeswoman said there had been no more arrests in relation to the cafe incident, but police were continuing to investigate and were checking CCTV footage to identify those involved.