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

Bay man avoids jail after armed burglary at Katikati orchard

Sandra Conchie
By Sandra Conchie
Multimedia Journalist, Bay of Plenty Times·Bay of Plenty Times·
15 Jul, 2020 04:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

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

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Recidivist burglar Tumu Tangiia, 36, was sentenced to seven months' home detention when he appeared in Tauranga District Court yesterday. Photo / File

Recidivist burglar Tumu Tangiia, 36, was sentenced to seven months' home detention when he appeared in Tauranga District Court yesterday. Photo / File

A man who broke into a shed on a Katikati orchard and stole a motorbike valued at $7500 was caught after he left a flick knife with his name engraved on the handle at the scene.

Tumu Tangiia, 36, was sentenced in the Tauranga District Court yesterday to seven months' home detention after he earlier pleaded guilty to three charges, including aggravated burglary.

He also admitted charges of breaching an earlier sentence of community work and a breach of the Covid-19 lockdown rules.

The court heard the armed burglary was committed at a Tetley Rd orchard in Katikati on April 27 during the Covid-19 lockdown period.

Tangiia, who was told by an associate where to find a hidden key, used it to open a storage shed and stole a 350cc motorbike valued at $7500.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He was identified as the burglar by police after he left a set of secateurs and a
flick knife at the scene, the latter having his name engraved on its handle, the court heard.

He told police he sold the bike, which has since been recovered, for $800.

The community work breach related to Tangiia failing to report to the Community Probation service on 16 occasions after being sentenced to 85 hours of community work in May 2019.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He has subsequently completed 82 hours of that sentence.

Crown prosecutor Ella Collis argued a sentence start point of 20 to 24 months' prison was appropriate before discounts for pleas, remorse, and the contents of a cultural report.

Discover more

Business

Bella Vista trial: Defence questions engineering expert

13 Jul 06:00 PM

Plunket sees jump in families needing support in Western Bay

13 Jul 08:32 PM

Update: Stranded ship successfully towed into port

14 Jul 03:20 AM

Letters: We don't need more cannabis users

14 Jul 08:00 PM

Collis told Judge John MacDonald the Crown did not oppose a home detention sentence if it got within range.

Tangiia's lawyer Thomas Haare argued home detention was the appropriate outcome.

Haare said his client was genuinely remorseful and handed up a letter of apology from Tangiia addressed to his victim to the judge.

"I would describe this as a poverty crime as Mr Tangiia had just lost his job and he and his partner didn't have any money to buy food," he said.

Haare said his client was willing to pay the $400 insurance excess.

Judge MacDonald said bringing a weapon to the scene of a burglary, especially a knife, was a concerning aggravating feature of this crime, both to the court and the victim.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The judge noted Tangiia had several prior convictions, including 19 for burglary but the said the last burglary conviction was in 2006.

Judge MacDonald said reports before him revealed Tangiia and his partner, who had two children, were seasonal workers and their financial circumstances were "clearly tight".

"Mr Haare describes this a poverty crime, and while I understand your difficulties, the burglary was premeditated and there is just no excuse for what you did," he told Tangiia.

Judge MacDonald said while the sentence start point must be prison, he was prepared to impose seven months' home detention, followed by six months of release conditions.

The judge said the sentence he imposed took into account Tangiia's guilty pleas, remorse and the "significant disadvantages and significant trauma" he had suffered in life.

"No doubt this led to your offending, but I hope you will take this opportunity to make changes and fully comply with the conditions of your sentence and not reoffend."

The judge also ordered Tangiia pay $400 reparation to his victim.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway

11 Jul 05:30 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Hardly surviving': Sales fall after dairy raid

11 Jul 03:29 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway

'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway

11 Jul 05:30 AM

Emergency services are responding to a two-vehicle crash which has closed SH29.

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

Mixed verdicts delivered for Tribesmen accused of murdering one of their own

11 Jul 05:00 AM
'Hardly surviving': Sales fall after dairy raid

'Hardly surviving': Sales fall after dairy raid

11 Jul 03:29 AM
Substation fault cuts power to thousands in Tauranga

Substation fault cuts power to thousands in Tauranga

11 Jul 03:01 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

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