Joseph Ahuriri mystery: Family claims new footage shows missing man heading toward Wairoa from Napier

A family member of a missing Gisborne man has revealed security footage from the morning he was last seen shows him heading toward Wairoa.

Joseph Ahuriri has not been seen since February 14 after checking out of his hotel at 4.28am the same day.

In a Facebook post his daughter, Jah Cameron, said there was video of her father exiting the Waitomo petrol station in Bayview, Napier at 5.46am that day.

She then told followers he took a right heading toward Wairoa, north of the port city.

This latest claim puts the missing man 30 km in the opposite direction from where police say he was last spotted on CCTV.

Police said earlier this month they had traced Ahuriri behind the wheel of a white Hilux heading south in Havelock North on Tuesday, February 14 at 5.15am after checking out of his hotel.

Cameron pleaded for anyone in the area with security cameras to contact her.

“His partner has filed a missing person report, we have too. Contacted all hospitals and tried contacting all services that are helping within that area yet still nothing now all we can do is wait,” she wrote.

“Come home safe to us dad, we will never stop searching for you.”

Ahuriri’s family said the father of eight had been visiting whānau in Hawke’s Bay that day and planned to return home to Gisborne but decided not to because of worsening weather.

He agreed with his partner Clarissa Poi that he should stay at the Scenic Hotel Te Pania in Napier until the storm settled. That was the last she heard from him.

Earlier this month, the police said Ahuriri was now being treated as a missing person, after previously saying he was uncontactable.

Eastern District Commander Superintendent Jeanette Park said police inquiries suggested that it was unlikely that his disappearance was cyclone-related, “although this cannot be fully ruled out”.

Mike Ahuriri, Joseph’s older brother, strongly disagreed with the police’s finding.

“The statement... it may not be Cyclone Gabrielle-related is bullshit,” he said.

The police statement also included details of five other people at the time considered “uncontactable”. Of those, police said three of them were facing criminal charges, and two had skipped bail.

Although police said Joseph Ahuriri was “in addition to” this group, Mike Ahuriri said the family felt he had been grouped in with these people.

“The family all felt that [police] thought he was a criminal. Mum went nuts about it - she wasn’t happy about it.

“We know he’s not a criminal.”

He added: “He’s a loving father, a loving brother, loves his kids.”

• Anyone with information that may help police has been asked to contact police on 105, or online using ‘Update Report’ and quote file number 230225/2804.