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Police raids on four properties in a tiny Otago settlement have resulted in cannabis-related charges against one resident.
Police said officers executed search warrants on Monday at four separate addresses in Waipori Falls, about 60km west of Dunedin.
Evidence of cannabis-related offending was located at one of the properties,police said.
A 41-year-old man, who was an occupant of that address, has been charged with three cannabis-related offences and is due to appear in the Dunedin District Court next month.
Waipori Falls is a small, remote village located about 60km from Dunedin, with around 28 permanent residents. Photo / Google Maps
The warrants are the latest development in what residents describe as a prolonged period of tension, intimidation and dispute within the remote settlement, which is home to fewer than 30 permanent residents.
Long-running concerns in the village have included allegations of threatening behaviour, animal cruelty incidents, firearms-related fears and conflict surrounding the Waipori Falls body corporate and a controversial levy reassessment process.
In October, residents Daniel and Kate Williamson reported hearing what they believed was a gunshot near their property on the same day their kitten went missing.
Residents said the arrangement of a pig carcass was an inappropriate, intimidating and distressing act.
They later alleged they had received threatening emails from another resident about wandering cats.
Police confirmed they were investigating alleged offending in the area, but declined to comment on specifics.
Other incidents reported by residents over the past year include unofficial roadblocks, the display of a pig carcass on a stick that some residents interpreted as intimidation, and warnings that surveyors assessing properties for levy purposes could face obstruction.
Police later determined that the pig had been euthanised after being injured by a dog and said no further action was required.
A long-time resident of Waipori Falls was confronted by another local who claimed visitors were not allowed. Photo / David Williamson
Body corporate chairwoman Pam Murray has previously said the levy reassessment was a routine and lawful process under the Unit Titles Act, aimed at addressing disparities that had existed since the early 1990s.
She said the body corporate had no authority over private disputes or police matters and encouraged respectful conduct between neighbours.
Former resident Michelle Annand said she visited the village shortly after the police raid on Monday and felt increasingly uneasy as she encountered heightened suspicion and tension among residents.
She alleged that long-standing issues involving drugs, weapons and harassment had plagued the settlement for decades. Those claims have never been tested in court.
She said fears of retaliation had become common among some current and former residents.
Police have not indicated whether the latest warrants are connected to earlier reported incidents, and have said investigations in the area are ongoing.
The arrested man is due to appear in the Dunedin District Court on January 13.
