No problems at Wairoa gang funerals

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

WAIROA remained quiet and calm over the weekend as the Mongrel Mob gang members who died in the Mohaka crash were farewelled in separate funerals, police say.

“It was just like any other weekend,” police said this morning.

The funeral service for 29-year-old Nathan Isaac was held at Ruakituri on Friday, and the services for Terry Stone and Ronald Rigby were in Wairoa on Saturday.

“It was quiet,” a police spokeswoman said.

“We did have a minor issue with traffic at one stage with a build-up of vehicles around the main bridge in the town, caused by a deviation of the funeral route for one of the men. But it was rectified pretty quickly and did not cause a problem,” she said.

“There were no other issues for police to deal with over the weekend.”

A large number of gang members attended the funeral from out of the Wairoa district.

“We can’t put a figure on it but it was large.”

Police were pleased with the behaviour of all involved in the services. No fresh information was available this morning on the inquiry into the crash, in which the car the men were travelling went off SH2 and plunged 100 metres into the Mohaka River.

The blue car police recovered last week as part of their inquiry, possibly connected to the crash, remains under examination in Gisborne.

“That vehicle inspection could take up to a week to conclude,” the police spokeswoman said.

“There is no fresh information in relation to the inquiry at this stage but it is ongoing.”