Brawl on Paihia's main shopping street 'heart-breaking', business owner says

Usually the commercial and tourism heart of Paihia, on Saturday Williams Rd was the scene of an all-out brawl involving dozens of people armed with outdoor furniture. Photo / supplied

A brawl on Paihia's main shopping street involving dozens of people armed with chairs and restaurant umbrellas has again put the spotlight on social problems in the Bay of Islands town.

The incident on Williams Rd at about 7.30pm on Saturday spread over a distance of about 200m between Jimmy Jack's Rib Shack and the Four Square.

Witness estimates of the number of people involved ranged from 20 to 50. No injuries were reported despite the use of outdoor furniture as weapons.

Steve Selby, owner of Jimmy Jack's Rib Shack, said it was "heart-breaking" to see an incident like that in the centre of town.

Williams Rd is home to many of the town's eateries and gift shops and is packed with visitors during summer. Selby said a couple of outdoor chairs were buckled and four umbrellas were lost in the melee.

No tables were damaged and no one was dining outside at the time. Nothing occurred inside the restaurant.

Selby said his manager took immediate control and guests continued their meals with the last ones going home at about 9.30pm. The restaurant opened as normal the following day.

A few nights earlier there had been a brawl on Davis Cres, about 700m away, and the issues on Kings Rd, a former backpacker strip now used for temporary accommodation, were well known.

However, this was the first time in his 13 years of running businesses in Paihia that he'd heard of a major fight in the "family environment" of Williams Rd.

"We've never seen it before and we sure as hell hope it doesn't happen again."

Senior Sergeant Peter Robinson, of Mid North police, said dozens of people were involved in the fight and numerous calls were made to police.

The first officers on the scene had to wait for more staff to arrive before steps could be taken to stop the fight.

He said "plenty of aggressive people" had armed themselves with chairs and umbrella poles, but there had been no confirmed sightings of baseball bats despite earlier reports.

Police were still in the early stages of the investigation. They had some CCTV footage and some private recordings, but anyone else who had recorded the incident was urged to call police on 105 quoting police file number 220529/5137.

They could also call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Robinson said the motivation of the people behind the brawl was not yet known.

Nor was it known if it was connected to earlier incidents such as the fight on Davis Cres, he said.

Paihia residents have previously blamed the conversion of Kings Rd backpacker hostels into short-term housing for an increase in crime, though that hasn't always been borne out by police statistics — apart from a jump in police callouts for domestic violence.

A number of high-profile crimes in Paihia have, however, been linked to temporary accommodation on Kings Rd.

Saturday's brawl has also rekindled calls for a 24-hour police presence in Paihia, an issue that first came to a head in a packed public meeting in April 2021.

Meanwhile, Whangārei Police are investigating an incident in Murdoch Crescent, Raumanga, where a person received a knife wound.

Senior Sergeant Brian Swann confirmed the police have responded to the incident and an ambulance was dispatched. There appeared to have been a fight between family members, Swann said, and someone was being treated for a knife wound.