The charity shop storeroom after the burglary. Photo / Supplied
The charity shop storeroom after the burglary. Photo / Supplied
Burglars who stole thousands of dollars worth of stock from a Mount Maunganui hospice charity shop have been described as "low-lives".
The loss of potential revenue meant less money could go towards Waipuna Hospice's community nurses and for care within the hospice for palliative patients. The hospice shop has beenstruggling due to the pandemic.
Police received a report that a commercial premise on Macdonald St was burgled overnight on March 19.
A spokeswoman said no one had been charged in relation to the incident and the matter was not being "actively investigated" at this stage until there was a line of inquiry for police to look into.
Mount Maunganui Waipuna Hospice store manager Heather Burns. Photo / Emma Houpt
Waipuna Hospice Mount Maunganui store manager Heather Burns said the offenders caused "extensive" damage to the store and made a "complete and utter mess" while trying to find valuables.
"Everything was in disarray on the floor. Things had been pulled out everywhere, that was the shock. When I got in there and saw everything on the floor I thought 'uh oh, this is serious.'"
Door locks were damaged, two staff laptops were stolen along with items for sale including jewellery, watches and electronics - some priced between the $200-300 mark.
She estimated between $2000 to $2500 worth of jewellery was stolen from the cabinet.
But she said it was "impossible" to know exactly how much was stolen as they did not do a stocktake and did not have a record of every single item in-store.
No cash was kept onsite and insurance would cover store damage and replace laptops, she said.
She knew some volunteers on the day were affected by the incident - some were still shaken up and feeling "vulnerable".
"It's the disrespect to the volunteers who give their time and the donors - it's just disappointing."
She said the charity shop operated on "a lot of goodwill" from the community and some customers were "disgusted" to hear about the burglary.
She said the store was already "considerably down on income" since the Omicron outbreak started and she had noticed fewer people buying and donating.
The loss of funds meant less money could go towards the hospice's community nurses and care within the hospice for palliative patients.
"We feel personally affected, but technically these sort of people are affecting the whole community. As the population grows, the need for a place like the hospice grows as well."
The store needed donations to replenish what was stolen - particularly electronic items and jewellery.
"We have let customers know so we can still keep those donations coming in."
Burns had not heard from the police since the incident.
Property developer Bob Thorne pictured in 2008. Photo / File
Aaron Thorne said the burglary did not "sit well" and was "pretty disappointing" to hear about considering the "great" work they did for the community.
His father Robert (Bob) Thorne, who was a well-known property developer, received daily in-home support from hospice staff for about a month before he passed away at age 75.
He was "forever thankful" for the hardworking staff at Waipuna Hospice. He died at home surrounded by his family in March 2020.
"I would not have thought undesirable low-lives would stoop to that level to do something like that," he said.
"For a charitable trust to be hit like that is awful."
Thorne said the hospice nurses went "over and above the call of duty" to care for his father.
"If they weren't available I don't know what we would have done. They were a great support network."
Waipuna Hospice chief executive Richard Thurlow described the incident as "incredibly frustrating" for the charity which was already struggling due to Covid, with business down between 20 and 25 per cent.
"It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. It's hard enough at the moment raising money for charity," he said.
Waipuna Hospice chief executive Richard Thurlow. Photo / George Novak
"We couldn't do what we do without our shop income. It is a really important venture for us, so when you get people coming in robbing the place it kicks you in the guts really."
About $2.3 million in profit was made last year through the sale of second-hand goods from the Tauranga stores.
He was "saddened" there were people in society who would steal from a charity.
"What goes through people's minds to steal from a charity - I don't know," he said.
He said it still provided services to the community and would continue to "do our best for as long as we can".
Age Concern Tauranga general manager Tanya Smith said it was "devastating" to hear a charity that did "amazing work" for palliative patients and their families had been burgled.
She said there was so much "goodwill" from Waipuna Hospice and incidents like this just made it "hard for them to do their work".
A police spokeswoman said there were no further lines of inquiry at this stage because there was "no further information" for police to investigate in relation to the burglary.
The same night, four other commercial premises within the Bayfair Shopping Centre were burgled at around 3am.
The most up-to-date police data revealed there were 5746 thefts recorded between January last year and January this year in Tauranga which equated to an average of about 15 thefts daily.
