Kiwi bar victim was hitman's target

By SCOTT MacLEOD

A New Zealander who narrowly survived a volley of bullets in a Sydney bar was the intended victim of a professional hit and not a mistaken target, say police.

Raniera Puketapu, a 27-year-old security guard, has fled Australia under police protection as the hunt continues for the man who fired through the window of JB's Bar and Grill in Darling Harbour last month.

The hitman was first thought to have mistaken Mr Puketapu for someone else, but Sydney police said yesterday that they now believed the New Zealander was the target.

Although the motive remains a mystery, the investigation has spread to New Zealand as baffled detectives check Mr Puketapu's background.

Detectives have even asked New Zealand police to check his prominent Maori family for a possible motive.

Mr Puketapu's father, Teri, is involved with a Lower Hutt-based council that co-ordinates iwi. An uncle, Vern Winitana, was ranked seventh on the Alliance list at the last general election.

Charred items found in a van set ablaze 200m from the attack suggest that the gunman spent several months planning the hit.

He was equipped with electronic surveillance and communications gear worth at least $10,000, two semi-automatic pistols, clothing and other items.

Police believe he was paid a considerable amount of money to carry out the shooting - at least enough to recover his costs, and more.

Yesterday they revealed that the burned-out Ford Econovan was not stolen. It was bought under a false name for $1500, which would have added to the gunman's costs. The hitman fired eight closely grouped shots from the Harbour St pavement on the night of October 8, hitting Mr Puketapu three times as he sat with his father and a cousin.

The hitman then casually walked off.

Detective Senior Constable Steve Pollard said the amount of time and money spent on the hit suggested it was too well planned for Mr Puketapu to have been a victim of mistaken identity.

The bar was well lit, and Mr Puketapu would have been easily recognisable. The communications gear suggested the gunman was in "close contact" with someone before the attack.

Mr Pollard said it was the most organised hit he had seen in 20 years.

Mr Puketapu had been sent to another country for his safety - not necessarily New Zealand. It was essential that his location remained secret because of the resources available to the hitman.

"As I explained to his family, an airfare to and from New Zealand is cheaper than the [surveillance] material destroyed," Mr Pollard said.

Neither he nor Mr Puketapu's relatives seem to have any strong theories on a motive.

Mr Winitana said he was mystified by the shooting.

"There's been a lot of speculation, but I personally don't have any idea. We've decided to let the Australian police find out."

The most puzzling aspect was that Mr Puketapu went to the bar on a whim, after his father flew over to watch the Warriors play in the National Rugby League grand final.

Fifteen people were in the bar when bullets smashed through the plate-glass window. Mr Puketapu was rushed to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, where he stayed under police guard.

Mr Winitana said Mr Puketapu still needed surgery for gunshot wounds to his liver, wrist and lungs.

"At the present time there's no way people can talk to him," Mr Winitana said. "He's out of Australia, that's all I can say."

Mr Puketapu grew up in the Hutt Valley and went to Te Aute College in Hawkes Bay. He represented New Zealand in handball, played rugby and is a keen skateboarder.

He had been in Australia for six or seven years, and was a guard for the Kemeny's Food and Liquor firm in Bondi. Staff there refused to talk yesterday.

A staff member at JB's who witnessed the shooting said no one there wanted to talk about it.

"We see everything, we hear everything, we say nothing - it's the bartenders' creed, mate."