Iwi bans food gathering from Whitianga Harbour

The Ngati Hei iwi yesterday banned food gathering from Whitianga Harbour out of respect for two Tongan men missing from a fishing trip in the area.

Police called off the official search for the men, who failed to return from an early morning trip on Tuesday.

Relatives of Savelio Lolesio, 26, and his 24-year-old cousin Sanualio Kiola were carrying on a private search.

A third man, Aisake Lavelua, survived by swimming to shore.