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Locals and business owners in Whangamatā, Coromandel, are frustrated by the mess left by the New Year’s party goers.
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Considerable damage has been done to a local café after the difficult start to 2021. Source: 1 NEWS
Overnight, riot police disbanded hordes of teenagers as celebrations turned violent in the small town.
A local cafe was badly damaged, and thousands of dollars worth of property was stolen.
Blackies Cafe manager Kate Hunter said it was a new year and now they will need a new roof.
“All the gutters are gone here, most of our tables have been smashed there. There were piles of trash, wrappers and food on the roof,” he told 1 NEWS.
“It’s incredibly heartbreaking.”
Blackies staff worked overnight to reopen this morning.
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As police watched, a person was seen throwing a bottle from the roof. Source: NZ Herald
But locals say they are not surprised that things are going crazy.
Crowds have been gathering in Williamson Park for New Year’s Eve for years, but it has been particularly bad since official under-18 events were canned, residents say.
“They come here, they tear it up, then they go home, have a nice day,” one man told 1 NEWS.
Waikato East Area Commander’s inspector Dean Anderson agreed, calling last night’s chaos “disgusting.”
“They can celebrate their New Year, or enter the New Year, along with everyone else, but they choose not to.”
About 22 people were arrested last night and police said tonight that they had also arrested and charged a 54-year-old local with incitement to disorderly behavior.
Police brought the charge against the man after watching a live broadcast of last night’s events on social media.
It will appear later in Waihi District Court.
“Police are asking people to consider the impact that incitement to disorder on social media can have on public order and the safety of our communities,” police told 1 NEWS.
Police also asked anyone else with video footage from the night to come forward as they continue to investigate what happened.
Police will maintain a presence in the city tonight in case the crowds return.
