Four Irish tourists who were robbed at gunpoint in Northland may be linked to a group of Australian-based traders selling questionable goods from rental vans.
The tourists were left shaken after two men pointed a firearm at them and demanded the keys to their van - which was
full of generators and water blasters - in Dargaville on Monday afternoon.
The van was found partially burned later that day and the equipment was gone.
While the case initially appeared to be a random robbery, the Herald has learned the tourists appear to be linked to the Irish traders being investigated by Australian authorities.
The New South Wales Office of Fair Trading said 50 Irish traders had been selling generators, air compressors, high-pressure cleaners and fire extinguishers around Australia for the past few months. They often operated in rural areas, went door-to-door and travelled in rental vans.
Director Michael Cooper said the description of the New Zealand Irish tourists, the rental van they were using and goods they were selling was enough to make him suspect the gang had spread across the Tasman.
He planned to contact New Zealand authorities to discuss the possibility further.
In Australia, a number of complaints had been received about the quality of the goods being sold by the traders, who have been arriving in the country since July.
Mr Cooper said the traders were known to carry large sums of cash and that could have been enough motive for the New Zealand attack.
Sergeant Jonathon Tier of Dargaville believed the attack was more of an opportunist robbery.
Five of the stolen items have been recovered and one person has been charged with receiving stolen goods. A 26-year-old man has also been charged in relation to the aggravated robbery and arson.
The Irish tourists have now left the country.
