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

Police charge towing firm owner

Amelia Wade
By Amelia Wade
Political reporter·NZ Herald·
26 Apr, 2012 05:30 PM3 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

The police arranged for the cars being held at East City Towing in Pakuranga to be uplifted last night and taken to another towing company. Photo / Natalie Slade

The police arranged for the cars being held at East City Towing in Pakuranga to be uplifted last night and taken to another towing company. Photo / Natalie Slade

The owner of a tow-truck company is to face court action over allegations he took a car for a joyride after it was impounded for boy-racing.

Police yesterday charged Michael Woods, who runs East City Towing under the name Mike Holliday, with unlawful conversion of a motor vehicle.

They also arranged for about 20 cars to be towed on their behalf from East City Towing's yard after the company was taken off the force's on-call towing roster.

Police launched their investigation into the company after the Herald last Wednesday published a complaint from a woman that her car was driven at high speeds without her permission after it had been towed.

The woman, who wanted to be known only as Nicky, formally complained to the police after checking her Snitch GPS system.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The device tracked her $12,000 Nissan Silvia's movements after it was taken from her in the small hours of Sunday morning for boy-racing activities in Mt Wellington.

The records showed her car was taken out of East City Towing's Pakuranga Heights impound lot in Cascade Rd at 2.30am - not long after it had arrived.

It was driven around Ben Lomond Cres, reaching speeds of more than 100km/h, then returned to the lot, before being driven further up Cascade Rd where it again reached more than 100km/h, according to the Snitch report given to the Herald.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The car reached 113km/h in the 2.7km it travelled. Ben Lomond Cres is a 50km/h zone and the Cascade Rd stretch driven that night is 60km/h.

Snitch director Jeremy Mclean said the speed and movement data was "100 per cent accurate".

Yesterday, Detective Inspector Mark Gutry confirmed police had charged the 48-year-old owner of East City Towing with unlawful conversion of a motor vehicle.

"Basically it's the taking of a car which is in your possession legally to start with and you use it for your own use," Mr Gutry explained.

Discover more

New Zealand

Impounded car taken on joyride

17 Apr 05:30 PM
New Zealand

Police investigating tow firm after joy ride claim

18 Apr 05:30 PM
New Zealand

Tow firm off police roster after speed row

25 Apr 05:30 PM
New Zealand

Truck's over-height digger clips bridge

26 Apr 05:30 PM

Woods is due to appear in court next week.

Conversion of a vehicle or other conveyance can be punishable with up to seven years' imprisonment if the defendant is convicted.

Last night, police agents removed about 20 cars from East City Towing's yard and took them to Southern Districts Towing, which has a contract with the force.

East City Towing has also been removed from the police's on-call towing roster - which had allowed them to impound cars on their behalf - until further notice.

A woman at East City Towing who identified herself as Mel told the Herald last night: "No comment."

Nicky said she never expected her complaint would lead to Woods being charged, but was very pleased that he had been.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I didn't even know what could have happened, what would have happened or what has or can't ... It's definitely good that he's going to court and the police have done something about it instead of just leaving it," she said last night.

She said when she bought the Snitch GPS, she never thought she would have to use it for this reason.

"But I'm pretty glad that it's in there now."

Nicky said she was considering going to court because she was "quite interested to see what will happen."

JOURNEY OF THE IMPOUNDED CAR
* Police have charged the owner of the company over allegations that he went for a joyride in a car that had been impounded for boy-racing. The car reached 113km/h in the 2.7km it travelled.
* 20 cars were removed from East City Towing last night.
* The tow firm has also been removed from the police's on-call towing roster.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New ZealandUpdated

'Mumma bear' of six mourned after fatal ATV farm accident

25 Jun 02:12 AM
New Zealand

Napier schoolboy, 11, dies after what was thought to be ‘routine flu’

25 Jun 02:10 AM
OpinionUpdated

NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today

25 Jun 01:59 AM

Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

'Mumma bear' of six mourned after fatal ATV farm accident

'Mumma bear' of six mourned after fatal ATV farm accident

25 Jun 02:12 AM

The ATV rolled on farmland near Millers Flat on Thursday.

Napier schoolboy, 11, dies after what was thought to be ‘routine flu’

Napier schoolboy, 11, dies after what was thought to be ‘routine flu’

25 Jun 02:10 AM
NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today

NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today

25 Jun 01:59 AM
Could a winter playground save Splash Planet?

Could a winter playground save Splash Planet?

25 Jun 01:55 AM
Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style
sponsored

Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style

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