Family left ‘shocked and unsettled’ after bullet shot into Gisborne home

Hera Parata said the bullet came in through her daughter's bedroom, up through the ceiling and back down into the kitchen wall. Photo / Hera Parata

A Gisborne family have been left “shocked” and “unsettled” after a bullet was fired into their whānau home at Glasgow Cres, Kaiti.

Hera Parata’s daughter and son-in-law were only about a metre away when a bullet thought to have been shot from a passing car tore through the bedroom wall.

The police investigation into the incident on Tuesday night last week was ongoing as of Monday this week.

It was about 11.15pm, according to Parata. She and her husband were out of town for a tangi when her daughter messaged to say “something blew up” in her room.

“The bullet came in and up through the ceiling and back down into the kitchen wall,” Parata said.

“My other daughter was in her room near the kitchen where the bullet hit as well. My mother was home, too. She is elderly and didn’t hear anything.”

Parata said her daughter first thought a wire or fuse blowing in the wall or ceiling had caused the bang.

“She said it made a huge noise and she did think it was a shot, but [she] didn’t want to alarm me. It wasn’t until the next day she saw the bullet hole.”

Her daughter thought she had heard a vehicle drive past at the time, but she didn’t see anything.

Parata said the family had been left feeling “shocked and unsettled” by the incident.

“We are a hard-working, normal, multi-generational family with older and younger children and elderly. We moved into this community and purchased our first home, as we were priced out of other suburbs,” she said.

“We want to reiterate that we have done nothing to invite this event into our lives.”

She said Gisborne police were quick to respond and had offered support.

“A quick resolution would help our family feel safe,” she said.

“Like all families in this community, we just want a safe community to live, work and thrive.”

She said the family was asking for the implementation of preventative measures, like the installation of traffic-calming measures in Glasgow Cres and Ranfurly St.

A police spokeswoman last week said police received a report on Wednesday that shots had been fired towards a Glasgow Cres address, Kaiti, the night before.

”There were no injuries although the occupants of the property were understandably shaken.”

No update on the police investigation was available on Monday, a police spokeswoman told the Herald.

James Pocock joined the Gisborne Herald as chief reporter in 2024 after covering environmental, local government and post-cyclone issues in Hawke’s Bay. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives near Gisborne. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz.