Kerre McIvor: Goodness stills trumps thuggery

Lucy Knight was seriously injured trying to stop a woman being mugged.

When an opportunistic young thug tried to snatch the bag of an elderly Chinese woman in Northcote this week, I think he saw an easy target. He was young, strong and, it seems to me, devoid of a moral compass; she was a small woman, on her own and old enough to be his grandmother.

What he probably didn't count on was another woman refusing to stand by and do nothing. Lucy Knight, a local mother of six, stepped in and tried to thwart the would-be thief. I understand there was a scuffle and she fell to the ground, striking her head and fracturing her skull.

She ended up in hospital that night, to relieve bleeding on her brain, as a result of doing the right thing, and is still there today.

The youth made off with a female accomplice who was driving a white station wagon, but the images released of the alleged offender from CCTV were clear and the public rallied to ensure the police could apprehend him quickly. The images were viewed by 120,000 people on social media and 2000 shared it.

Within 24 hours, a suspect was in custody.

So often we hear about the evils of social media. This is a situation where it undoubtedly cut down on the time police spent tracking down the alleged offender.

Hendrix Hauwai has been charged with one count of aggravated wounding and one of assault with intent to rob, and police aren't ruling out more charges.

Knight's friends and community sprang into action. Parents at the youngest children's school organised a meal roster. Local businesses have offered to donate food and groceries. And social media came to the fore again when a family friend set up a givealittle fund to help with costs associated with her hospital stay and recovery.

The goal of $10,000 has been far, far exceeded.

It was lovely that many members of the Chinese community left messages of support and gratitude on the page, along with donations ranging from $5 to many hundreds of dollars.

One donor wrote that she'd lived in New Zealand for four years but this was the first time she felt she belonged. The subtext being that if a European New Zealander was willing to come to the aid of a Chinese woman, perhaps others saw people as being people irrespective of ethnicity or skin colour.

Detective Senior Sergeant Stan Brown from the North Shore police is impressed by the response from the public. He says it shows a zero tolerance for this type of crime and that it should send a clear message to criminals who see bag snatching as easy money. I hope he's right.

I had a young woman ring me on talkback from an organisation that deals with youth offenders when they're out on bail.

She said young men she sees will rob others because they want stuff and can't afford to buy it. Simple as that.

She said in a consumerist society where you're judged on what you own and in a society where it's increasingly difficult to get jobs, they turn to stealing because that's the easiest way they believe they can get money. She wasn't making excuses, she was just passing on what the young men told her.

It's unbelievable there are kids in our society who have so little empathy they'll risk harming two women just to steal money to buy label clothing and designer gadgets.

Still, this is ultimately a good news story. Knight will be able to return home to her husband and family and the community has shown there are far more good, kind, generous people in this country than opportunistic little shits.

Should people put themselves at risk to save others? I don't think there's much to debate. You're either a person who steps in - or you're not. And you'll know which camp you're in only when the situation arises. Knight chose not to look away.

I hope I would do the same if I were ever in the same position.

• Kerre McIvor is on Newstalk ZB, Monday-Thursday, 8pm-midnight.