He said information about gang involvement was "a bit like Chinese whispers".
"Sometimes information comes through like that and it is gold but that's for management to decide."
Earlier, Richard and Michelle McMeekin recounted what they saw moments after Mr Taiaroa was shot.
"We had stopped at the stop-go sign. Then I saw a dark blue Jeep Cherokee coming over the bridge, speeding towards us," Richard McMeekin said.
Michelle McMeekin said she was taken aback to see a blue vehicle come "flying down" the bridge on Tram Rd.
"I mouthed some quite horrible words. I said 'slow the f*** down'. In a controlled area like that with stop-go signs, he was going very fast."
When cross examined by Temm, Michelle McMeekin confirmed that though she referred to the driver as ''olive skinned'' she had also previously described him to police as being of Maori descent.
The trial continues today.