NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Homeless Rotorua motel burglar caught red-handed by police stealing electric bike

Kelly Makiha
By Kelly Makiha
Multimedia Journalist·Rotorua Daily Post·
24 May, 2022 06:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Rotorua Courthouse. Photo / NZME

Rotorua Courthouse. Photo / NZME

Jason Tihi broke into a residential garage, took a $3000 electric bike and rode it to his emergency housing motel to try and hide it.

But police were watching the whole time and caught him red-handed.

He told the police he stole the bike because he couldn't get a job.

A few months earlier, Tihi was also snapped shoving a whole sirloin valued at $75 down his pants at a Rotorua supermarket and trying to break into a car in Hastings.

Now, Rotorua District Court Judge Tony Snell has decided his fate.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Tihi earlier pleaded guilty to burglary, shoplifting, unlawfully interfering with a motor vehicle, possession of instruments to break into cars and driving without a licence.

On Friday October 29 2021 at 11.25am, Tihi went to a Malfroy Rd house and stole the electric bike.

Judge Snell said: "You were followed by police because they saw you doing this and you were trying to load it into your motel room. When confronted about it, you said you were stealing it because you can't get a job. I don't accept that as a valid reason for you stealing."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

On March 13, he went to Pak'nSave's meat display unit and stole a whole sirloin by "shoving" it down his pants. He was confronted but refused to give it back before running off.

On June 24 2021, he was at the Hastings Tyre Centre on Omahu Rd and police were called after he was seen trying to steal a car from an area in front of the shop.

Discover more

New Zealand|crime

Fraudster claims to be a drug-free changed woman

22 May 08:00 PM
New Zealand

'Toxic environment': A third of city's family harm calls to emergency lodgings

09 May 04:47 AM
Kahu

Waititi hits out at funding support services that 'live off' homelessness

20 May 07:18 PM

"People observed you trying to jimmy open a door of a Toyota Epsom vehicle. By the time police arrived you were still trying to do that. You had a spanner, long piece of wire and two pieces of thick insulation."

Judge Snell said Tihi had only one previous conviction for threatening to kill and do grievous bodily harm, which he received community work and supervision for in 2019.

The judge said "this little wave of dishonesty offending needs to stop" because the whole Rotorua community was "sick of people nicking things".

Tihi's lawyer told Judge Snell a stint in jail would be warranted but the judge didn't agree, given Tihi's lack of relevant previous convictions and the fact he had suffered a head injury.

"That would be absolutely catastrophic for someone like you and the issues you have and the fact you have no history."

Judge Snell noted there needed to be two reports arranged by Community Probation Service before sentencing because he didn't engage in the first one.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"You didn't turn up, you didn't keep meetings and you didn't help yourself."

The second report ordered by a judge was more helpful but didn't recommend jail.

"I don't want to be the cause of destabilisation in your life and I understand you have a home to stay in now, you're engaged at Tumanako in terms of assistance and in terms of totality a community based sentence is the most appropriate."

But Judge Snell said his sentence of 12 months' intensive supervision - which included directions that he complete a tikanga Māori programme and counselling to address his offending behaviour - came with a final warning.

"Come before the court for another burglary or unlawful interference with a motor vehicle and you will go to prison and that will be recorded on your record. I hope you get some help and I hope you don't come back here and nothing would please me more if this was the last time you and I met within this building," Judge Snell said.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from New Zealand

Crime

Neighbours of Massey reserve heard cries for help as security guard was beaten to death

22 Jun 11:08 PM
New Zealand

Watch: Aerial footage captures 'mesmerising' Matariki drone show

22 Jun 11:00 PM
New Zealand|crime

Man on run after attack at South Auckland Sikh temple leaves two injured

22 Jun 10:54 PM

Help for those helping hardest-hit

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Neighbours of Massey reserve heard cries for help as security guard was beaten to death

Neighbours of Massey reserve heard cries for help as security guard was beaten to death

22 Jun 11:08 PM

Lorenzo Tangira pleaded guilty to murder today. It was set to be the start of his trial.

Watch: Aerial footage captures 'mesmerising' Matariki drone show

Watch: Aerial footage captures 'mesmerising' Matariki drone show

22 Jun 11:00 PM
Man on run after attack at South Auckland Sikh temple leaves two injured

Man on run after attack at South Auckland Sikh temple leaves two injured

22 Jun 10:54 PM
Cheap food boxes in Hawke’s Bay, if you attend cooking and growing workshops

Cheap food boxes in Hawke’s Bay, if you attend cooking and growing workshops

22 Jun 10:12 PM
How a Timaru mum of three budding chefs stretched her grocery shop
sponsored

How a Timaru mum of three budding chefs stretched her grocery shop

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP