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
  • What the Actual
  • 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

Prized stock castration frustrates farmer

By Andrew Ashton
Hawkes Bay Today·
7 Jul, 2018 03:06 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

Pongaroa farmer David Vitsky is upset about the castration of his bulls. PHOTO/DUNCAN BROWN

Pongaroa farmer David Vitsky is upset about the castration of his bulls. PHOTO/DUNCAN BROWN

After waking up to find someone had castrated two of his bulls, a Tararua farmer expected the police to arrest and charge the culprit. Instead he says he was advised to sell up and move.

Pongaroa farmer David Vitsky said the incident was the latest in a litany of stock rustling and rural crime stretching back several years.

But Hawke's Bay police say they are unable to gather firm evidence to charge anyone.

"We've been plagued by a continuous raid of stock rustling, thefts and the police fail to get prosecutions," Vitsky told Hawke's Bay Today.

The spate of issues had been ongoing for more than six years at his and other neighbouring properties, he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In the latest incident, someone applied castrating rings to two expensive bull calves he had intended to use for breeding.

"You put a ring on his testicles and they drop off so it then becomes a steer and it can't be used for breeding.

"I spent a lot of money on these animals and now they have become useless."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Other issues in the area included thefts and, on one occasion, a whole cow was "chopped up".

"The previous person to me who had this property left for similar reasons.

"There's also two other people up the road who have had stock stolen.

"It's just going on and on and on."

However, the police had been unable to apprehend a suspect without photographic evidence.

"The police said to me sell my property and the problems will go away.

"That's just passing it on to the next owner. It has gone beyond a joke," Vitsky said.

However, Senior Sergeant Jymahl Glassey said all complaints of cattle rustling were taken seriously and did not go ignored.

With regards to Vitsky's complaint about castration of his bulls, police had made inquiries, he said.

"As already discussed with the complainant, unfortunately there is no admissible evidence to support the assertion that there is a particular person responsible.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"If anyone has any evidence relating to this incident they are asked to contact local police.

Police appreciate that it is often difficult for rural victims to offer evidence or locate eye witnesses."

Glassey said the police advised people to use CCTV cameras and ensure they could look out for each other's properties.

"It is really important for neighbouring farmers to have good working relationships with each other so they can keep an eye out for each other's property and stock as well as alerting each other to strangers in the area.

"Caring for those farming around you and developing good working relationships and farming practices between neighbours are probably the No1 tools in counteracting stock loss.

"Stock do wander through damaged fencing and some farmers accept there is some movement in stock numbers from time to time but that they should equal out when their neighbour discovers them and returns them as per ethical farming practices.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"In terms of crime prevention, security options for farmers to consider include installing CCTV or wireless alert systems which can activate an alarm in your house to alert you that someone is in your shed by alarm or light sensors.

"These devices are highly effective and can even work in areas across some distance, where there is no cell coverage."

Vitsky told Hawke's Bay Today said he had now made an official complaint to the Independent Police Conduct Authority about the situation.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

'Outstanding young man': Community mourns talented teen rugby player killed in crash

20 May 04:27 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Police arrive at fatal crash, charge survivor with firearms offences

20 May 04:06 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Patients paying over $200 to visit after-hours in Palmerston North

20 May 03:52 AM

The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

'Outstanding young man': Community mourns talented teen rugby player killed in crash

'Outstanding young man': Community mourns talented teen rugby player killed in crash

20 May 04:27 AM

'Rhys was a skilled sportsman and an exceptional young individual.'

Police arrive at fatal crash, charge survivor with firearms offences

Police arrive at fatal crash, charge survivor with firearms offences

20 May 04:06 AM
Patients paying over $200 to visit after-hours in Palmerston North

Patients paying over $200 to visit after-hours in Palmerston North

20 May 03:52 AM
Pukupuku moved from Wellington to Hawke's Bay

Pukupuku moved from Wellington to Hawke's Bay

20 May 03:43 AM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

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
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • 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