Rotorua homeless shelter volunteer sentenced for assault

Ngawhainga Sayers was sentenced at Rotorua District Court. Photo / File

A Rotorua homeless shelter volunteer has been sentenced to 90 hours' community work after assaulting a homeless person.

Ngawhainga Sayers, 45, appeared in the Rotorua District Court yesterday and was sentenced on a charge of common assault.

Judge Tony Snell said Sayers, who volunteered for the shelter's charitable trust, punched a homeless shelter person and kicked the person in the stomach after an incident at the shelter.

Judge Snell said the person didn't need medical treatment.

He said while Sayers had a "long history of violent offences", describing her as "hypersensitive", he took into account the good work she had been doing for the homeless.

"It is easy for you to undo all that good work by one action."

In sentencing her to 90 hours' community work, he also ordered she have 12 months' supervision which would offer her support and counselling for other matters she was dealing with.

Interim name suppression lapsed for Sayers today, with Judge Snell saying there was no valid reason for name suppression to continue.

Sayers' lawyer Rob Vigor Brown said he could not pursue an argument for name suppression.