Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • 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

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

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

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

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 / Hawkes Bay Today

Mean thieves steal boy's school uniform off washing line

Alice Lock
Hawkes Bay Today·
30 Jan, 2017 05:00 PM3 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
GONE: Racheal Kavanagh, from Hastings, had her sons brand new HBHS uniform stolen off their washing line after only living in the area for two months. PHOTO/PAUL TAYLOR.

GONE: Racheal Kavanagh, from Hastings, had her sons brand new HBHS uniform stolen off their washing line after only living in the area for two months. PHOTO/PAUL TAYLOR.

Racheal Kavanagh hasn't had the Hawke's Bay welcome she hoped for after her son's new uniform was stolen from her washing line.

After weeks of saving and recently moving to Hastings from Auckland Ms Kavanagh began to prepare for the children's first week of school.

"We enrolled my son to Hastings Boys' High School so last week in our excitement went down to the uniform shop to get him all ready."

She bought him socks, shirts, shorts and rugby shorts, which totalled $138.

On Friday night Ms Kavanagh hung his uniform on the line along with her daughter's so they were clean for the following week.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

When she woke up in the morning her son's uniform was gone.

"I went out to get everything and looked up and it had vanished. I was confused as I put it out when it was dark so someone must have seen me do it."

"I didn't think you would have to start thinking and worrying about a day to day chore. It's pretty sad really and not the welcome we were after."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She reported the theft to the police who asked her if she heard anything that night.

After "racking her brains" Ms Kavanagh can remember vaguely hearing something about an hour after going to sleep.

"I am just assuming that the sound I heard must have been when it was stolen but at the time it didn't sound like much."

The sound didn't even wake their alsatian Cocoa who she said didn't prove to be much of a guard dog.

"I think she's too placid for that but it would have been good if she gave us a wee bark or growl."

Her son now only has a pair of rugby shorts.

"I can't afford to pay for it all again so hopefully they let me now do it in drip payments. It's a bit sucky really," she said.

Ms Kavanagh doesn't want her son turning up on his first day with nothing especially when he is new to the school.

"He looked really good in his uniform the poor guy, so back to the shop we go."

What she found interesting was that her daughter's Hastings Girls' High School uniform was left on the line but her New Balance shirt was also missing.

"It must have been opportunist theft as they knew what they wanted. We won't be able to identify the uniform but I am hoping we can get the New Balance shirt."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

One thing Ms Kavanagh has taken away from this is that her faith in humanity has been restored.

"The support has been amazing so I guess this is the nice side of it. People we don't know from a bar of soap are putting their hands up to help us, it is incredible."

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Calls grow for reprint after voting papers error in Hastings election

25 Sep 02:09 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

'Feels like extortion': Kitchen Things customers asked to stump up thousands more for purchased items

24 Sep 11:42 PM
Hawkes Bay Today

Pan Pac to cut 20 roles in Hawke’s Bay restructure

24 Sep 06:00 PM

Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Calls grow for reprint after voting papers error in Hastings election
Hawkes Bay Today

Calls grow for reprint after voting papers error in Hastings election

The booklet skipped from page 12 to 29, cutting out some wards.

25 Sep 02:09 AM
'Feels like extortion': Kitchen Things customers asked to stump up thousands more for purchased items
Hawkes Bay Today

'Feels like extortion': Kitchen Things customers asked to stump up thousands more for purchased items

24 Sep 11:42 PM
Pan Pac to cut 20 roles in Hawke’s Bay restructure
Hawkes Bay Today

Pan Pac to cut 20 roles in Hawke’s Bay restructure

24 Sep 06:00 PM


Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable
Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
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
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP