Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Bruce Junior Ewok Mihaka imprisoned after going 130km/h over limit

Samantha Olley
Samantha Olley
Rotorua Daily Post·
31 Aug, 2018 10:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Road spikes in use in New Zealand. Photo / File

Road spikes in use in New Zealand. Photo / File

A Rotorua man who drove at 180km/h in a 50km/h zone while on bail will spend 18 months in jail.

The Rotorua District Court has just released sentencing notes for 34-year-old Bruce Junior Ewok Mihaka.

Judge Greg Hollister-Jones said he showed "a complete disregard for our driving laws".

Mihaka had a history of three dangerous and reckless driving convictions, five for disqualified driving, one for unlawfully getting into a vehicle and five for drugs before his 2018 offences.

Mihaka's latest charges from incidents in January, April and May this year included threatening conduct, receiving a $5000 motorcycle, dangerous driving, disqualified driving, possession of methamphetamine and a methamphetamine pipe and two counts of aggravated failing to stop.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

On January 17 he told a woman: "I am going to waste you and smash you and kick your car in."

On January 30 Mihaka was riding a $5000 stolen motorcycle on Wrigley Rd, Fordlands, while disqualified, without a helmet.

He accelerated away from police on Sunset Rd, then drove over the median strip at 105km/h overtaking vehicles in a 50km/h zone, while other vehicles drove the opposite way.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mihaka passed a primary school with students on the footpath, then drove at 100km/h up a short cul-de-sac, over a kerb toward a reserve where he lost control.

He was arrested with 0.5g of methamphetamine and $1340 cash in his jacket pocket.

On April 25 he was driving and was stopped at a routine traffic stop when police found a methamphetamine pipe, empty point bags, and a straw in his vehicle.

On May 8, Mihaka was driving a Holden vehicle on Konene St, Utuhina, and weaving across the road.

When police tried to stop him he did a u-turn and reached speeds of 180km/h in a 50km/h zone through Fordlands and Pukehangi.

His car's tyres were eventually spiked.

At Mihaka's sentencing on August 7, Judge Hollister-Jones said he showed "no clear remorse" in the pre-sentence report.

"I have got to send you the strongest possible message about this and home detention is not adequate ... You just cannot keep on offending in this way and endangering members of the Rotorua public."

"At the heart of your issues is methamphetamine," Hollister-Jones said.

Mihaka was sentenced to 18 months in prison, and a total disqualification from driving for three years.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

20-minute free parking approved for Tauranga city centre and fringe zones

19 Sep 01:52 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Body on beach: Police confirm death not suspicious

19 Sep 01:26 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Radio host signs off after decades on air

19 Sep 12:00 AM

Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

20-minute free parking approved for Tauranga city centre and fringe zones
Bay of Plenty Times

20-minute free parking approved for Tauranga city centre and fringe zones

Mayor Mahé Drysdale says the move aims to support struggling city retailers.

19 Sep 01:52 AM
Body on beach: Police confirm death not suspicious
Bay of Plenty Times

Body on beach: Police confirm death not suspicious

19 Sep 01:26 AM
Radio host signs off after decades on air
Bay of Plenty Times

Radio host signs off after decades on air

19 Sep 12:00 AM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP