Time Magazine. New Zealand’s violence has an international reputation.
If you’re emigrating to New Zealand to escape crime in your own country you may want to give the small towns a very wide berth.
A young girl (age withheld) has been attacked by a “group” (NZ MSMspeak for “gang”) wearing “predominantly red” (confirmation they were gang related) in Putaruru.
“Young girl attacked by group in Putuaruru“
A young Waikato girl has been attacked by a group of teens as she walked along a street in Putaruru. Police are appealing for any witnesses of the attack that happened on Monday, July 13 between 5pm and 6pm. Detective Constable John Goddard said a group of about 7-8 teenagers wearing predominantly red had targeted the girl and assaulted her…source
The NZ Herald also kept quiet about the girl’s age, probably because the police haven’t released it. The Herald did add the following information though…
The group of about eight teenagers first yelled out to the girl on Kensington St, police said. She feared for her safety and changed her walking direction before again encountering the same group on Terrace St.
The group, predominantly dressed in red, surrounded her and began to assault her until the girl managed to break away and run to safety…
In New Zealand Red is traditionally associated with the Mongrel Mob.
Unemployment is high in many small towns and Putaruru is known to be home to the Notorious Chapter of the Mongrel Mob. The town itself has had its fair share of violence and seedy crime. The BNZ bank has been robbed at gunpoint (April 2010) and two masked men held up the Countdown supermarket at gunpoint (September 2010).
More recently, a Putaruru school principal has been pleaded not guilty over child sex images. Until his arrest in 2014, Bruce Darroch was principal of Te Waotu School, 10km (6 miles) west of the town. The school has children from about 80 family groups.
Darroch…faces four counts of distributing objectionable material, that relate to supplying photographs of a sexual nature featuring a boy under 10 years old.
As well as the 500 photographic images, stored on a USB stick, Darroch is charged with supplying a photograph of two eight-year-old boys, engaging in an objectionable online chat log and two charges of failing to assist a police search.
Darroch’s trial is scheduled for March 2016. Crown Solicitor, Amanda Gordon, has indicated two expert witnesses from the US will give evidence.
Elsewhere in the town (population 3,765) police have had to nail shut an 80 year old’s back door, after she fell victim to her sixth burglary in three years…
six burglaries in the past three years has shaken Lilian Parsons to the point that she feels vulnerable leaving the front door open for more than five minutes. “You never know what can happen in that time.”
Putaruru Police are on the hunt for the culprits that visited the Arapuni St cottage in May, stealing more than $10,000 worth of food and valuables from Parsons’ garage. “I went out to hang clothes on the line…just after 7.30am. I looked down and I saw the garage door open and I thought uh-oh, something’s happened down there.”
Parsons, who has lived on her own since 2003, said her stomach dropped when she realised she had been robbed. “I just felt sick, you feel, you wonder what else they’d been in to.”
They returned one week later, and again on July 3, after which police were forced to to nail Parsons’ garage door shut because of the damage. “I just feel ill, it’s hard to explain. People look at me and probably think nothing is wrong but all the time I’m on edge.”
And rightfully so… read on
You may also be interested in the story behind the magazine cover, above
Tribal Trouble
For decades, ethnic gangs have been part of the Kiwi landscape. But a child’s death and a new wave of vicious teen gangsters reveal the ugly reality—and New Zealanders are demanding action..read on Time Magazine
“Gang life is one of petty terrorism, violence and hatred” Said Wellington’s mayor after the gang related drive-by shooting in which toddler Jhia Te Tua died in her parents’ home. The gangs involved were Black Power and Mongrel Mob.
E2NZ.org 
Unfortunatly it is no longer safe to go anywhere after dark anymore,this just adds to the general social isolation of this sad ass lame place.
What is with NZ?
I discovered you website prior to a holiday to the South Island to get some perspective of where I was going. I went to NZ for the scenery and not the culture. Less people the better. I think I was there long enough to get a feel for the south island. As a North American I was shocked about all the media reports of crime, housing problems (Christchurch), homelessness, education problems, drugs, poverty, etc in a place that I presumed was very similar to Canada. The general acceptance of prostitution was weird and sad. Some many of the young people just seemed so “screwed up”. Why would anyone want there child to grow up to be a prostitute, criminal or pot head. Maybe the counter culture is too prevalent in NZ. Cultural tolerance and the liberal policies of your governments has clearly led to disaster.
Can any kiwi’s explain what is going on there? Is it simply economics or is there more going on?
Honestly, I just don’t know. I’m a New Zealander and even I have been abused and told to get out of NZ. I guess these people just want to live in this little box with their addictions. The prostitution thing is sad, yes. Didn’t they make that a valid option for kids on dress-up day? I vaguely remember a story about that.
Then you have discipline now being a crime, and even early childhood centers won’t punish kids in any way. There is no line between good and bad here, and despite all of this kiwis will sit back and blame foreigners for everything.
we, soon to be they, have the worst figures on child & family violence in the world.
Even so called ISIS treat kids better that they do in this country.
Since it’s July, it is winter in New Zealand … while the time is stated as “she was attacked between 5 – 6 pm” (seems reasonable from the point of view of “not late at night”) … in terms of visibility it is near pitch black (it starts to get dark from about 3pm).
That line from “Taxi Driver” was right, maybe Travis Bickle was subconsciously referencing that? “All the animals come out at night – whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, sick, venal.” On the other hand, I went out at night if I couldn’t make dinnertime (6pm) at the hall of residence to walk to the warehouse or the Chinese takeaway near it…
Also lots of links turn up in Google with the search phrase
“putaruru teacher abuse” (no quotes)