From Rt Hon Winston Peters

It is appalling that during these tragic circumstances in the Hawkes Bay and elsewhere where people have lost their lives and livelihoods, we are now seeing gangs and feral thugs threatening, robbing, stealing, and looting.

The lawlessness cannot be allowed to continue and will only get worse if it is not taken seriously. The Prime Minister needs to approve sending Army personnel to assist police to maintain order - it is a state of emergency and is out of control.

The government needs to act now before someone is killed - having the Ministers of Police and Justice on camera telling the gangs to just “cut it out” and “pull your heads in” shows a highly concerning lack of understanding.

The first responsibility of any government is to ensure people’s safety and security - the people of the Hawkes Bay shouldn’t have to put up with guns being pointed at road workers, or people being threatened and robbed for food and petrol.

These thugs need to be made a public example of with zero tolerance.

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