Police investigating second suspicious fire at Kaitaia Gun Club in just over a year

Fire And Emergency staff were examining the Kaitaia Gun Club after it burnt down early yesterday. Photo / Denise Piper

Police are investigating a fire that destroyed the temporary home of the Kaitaia Gun Club, just over a year after its original home was also burnt down.

Fire and Emergency staff were called to a fire at the Kaitaia Gun Club, on Okahu Downs Drive, around 4.15am yesterday.

Following a scene examination yesterday police confirmed it was an arson and were investigating accordingly.

No one was at the property and there are no injuries, and enquiries were under way.
Yesterday's fire followed a suspicious blaze which completely destroyed the clubrooms on February 13, last year.

Kaitaia Gun club representative Mark Shaw declined to comment on what may have caused the latest fire.

"I just found out ... I don't know what to think," he said.

"The police are dealing with it now."

Police were late yesterday at the scene conducting a scene examination and working with fire safety investigators to determine the cause of the fire.

They were not releasing any further information at this stage.

The temporary home of the Kaitaia Gun Club has been burnt down after the club moved there when their old clubroom was burnt down in February, last year.

Meanwhile, gun clubs around Northland were considering their membership processes in light of the Christchurch shootings.

Fifty people died in the Christchurch mosque shooting on Friday, the worst terror attack in New Zealand history, after they were allegedly shot by Brenton Tarrant.

Tarrant was a member of the Bruce Rifle Club, south of Dunedin, but members said he never gave anyone cause for concern.

John Hendriks, of the Whangārei Combined Gun Club, said the club had a robust system but the latest incident had the sport shooting sector considering the future.

"Through the actions of some idiot our legitimate sport is being threatened."

Hendriks said there were strict processes that potential club members had to go through before they got on the range.

The Dargaville Pistol Club president Michael Andrews said the process to join was rigorous.

"The processes increases in vigour the more advanced the weapons are," he said.