Man accused of threatening Whangarei volunteer fishery officer with a knife

The fishery officer was allegedly threatened with a bait knife. Photo/File

A Whangarei man accused of threatening a volunteer fishery officer with a bait knife has denied the charge.

Parakoti Engu, 46, of Otangarei, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of threatening to kill and possession of an offensive weapon.

The alleged threats were made against an honorary fishery officer on routine patrol in the Whangarei Heads area last Wednesday and Thursday.

Police say Engu had in his possession a 30cm bait knife which he used to threaten the officer.

Engu first appeared in the Whangarei District Court on Friday and was remanded in custody to re-appear today for a bail application.

Whangarei Heads is a popular coastal recreation area.

Regardless of today's bail application result, Engu will re-appear for a case review on March 5, 2018.

A charge of threatening to kill carries a maximum penalty of seven years while the charge of possessing an offensive weapon is three years.

Ministry of Primary Industries fisheries' compliance manager Greg Keys said MPI has a range of support services for employees who were subjected to actions that, during the course of their work, were considered a health and safety risk.

He declined to comment on the specifics of the case.