Tensions have been mounting in the isolated Otago village Waipori Falls. Image / Google Maps
A gunshot, a missing kitten and simmering village disputes have left residents in the small Otago community on edge.
On October 24, Kate Williamson says she heard a gunshot near her Waipori Falls property at around 11am. At the same time, her family’s kitten, Ruby, went missing.
“It was distinct, but not excessively loud,” Williamson’s husband, Daniel, said.
Despite searches and social media alerts, Ruby has not been found.
While other residents did not report hearing the shot, Daniel Williamson said the incident raised concern in the wake of alleged threats from another villager.
Williamson alleged that emails from another resident threatened to shoot any wandering cats.
Williamson said he now believes they are related to the gunshot heard around Ruby’s disappearance, and the resident’s threats were reported to the Body Corporate.
Ruby’s disappearance was also reported to the SPCA the following day and shared with the community through social media.
Inspector Marty Gray, Otago Coastal Area Commander, said police were currently investigating alleged offences in the Waipori Falls area, but were unable to comment further on these at this stage.
The gunshot comes amid broader tensions in the village.
In September last year, residents reported being stopped along the narrow gorge section of Waipori Falls Rd and told they were no longer welcome in the village.
Earlier in October, a pig carcass was displayed on a stick near a local property in what some residents interpreted as intimidation linked to hunting activities.
Police later determined the pig had been euthanised after being injured by a dog, and no further action was required.
Conflict has also arisen over the body corporate’s levy reassessment.
A resolution to reassess levies prompted a scheduled survey of 33 properties in late November.
Some villagers, however, have vowed to block surveyors from entering their properties, a dispute described by one resident who asked not to be named as “potentially violent” and reflective of growing intimidation in the community.
Body corporate chairperson Pam Murray confirmed that the unit entitlement reassessment site visits had been completed, and the reassessment was approved by owners at the May 2025 annual general meeting and is a routine administrative process carried out in accordance with the Unit Titles Act 2010.
She said its purpose is to ensure fairness, accuracy and transparency across the development as it exists today.
“This reassessment is particularly important for residents because the current levy structure has not been updated since the early 1990s, when the body corporate was first established,“ she said.
“As a result, there is currently a very large disparity between contributions. The reassessment provides a modern, evidence-based foundation for owners to consider whether the levy structure remains fair and proportionate.
“We are grateful to the majority of owners who cooperated and provided access. A small number of owners chose not to participate at this stage, and any outstanding matters will now be managed through the standard statutory pathways available under the act. The focus remains on ensuring the process is lawful, orderly and respectful,” she said.
“During the site visits, there was one isolated incident involving verbal abuse directed toward the chairperson and the assessors. This matter has been formally recorded and will be addressed through the appropriate channels. Apart from that single interaction, engagement with residents was orderly and courteous.”
In relation to wider concerns raised, she said the body corporate was not an enforcement or regulatory agency and does not have authority over private disputes between individuals.
“We continue to encourage respectful conduct and good neighbourly communication.”
“For clarity, the committee has received no reports of gunshots or firearms-related incidents within the village. The recent pig carcass matter raised by some residents was not gun-related and did not involve firearms.”
She said that with regard to police matters, any contact with police generally occurred at an individual level rather than through the body corporate, and we do not comment on private interactions between residents and law enforcement.
“Overall, Waipori Falls Village remains a small and close-knit community. Differences of opinion are not unusual in shared property environments, but the reassessment process itself has been completed calmly and professionally.”
“The committee is now focused on receiving the valuer’s report, sharing a summary with owners in early 2026, and ensuring that any next steps remain transparent, lawful and driven by owner decision-making”
MP Ingrid Leary, who has engaged with residents on local policing matters, said the issues reflect long-standing challenges in policing remote communities.
“Over the past five years, the community has worked through a range of infrastructure and water supply challenges. I continue to refer residents’ concerns to police when appropriate,” she said.
Residents say fear of harassment has become routine.
An anonymous resident told the Herald they now wear a video recording device when in the village after repeated intimidation, noting that Daniel and Kate Williamson have also been targeted.
The resident added that the shooting incident has “generated some police activity, but not at a level you would have expected, given a firearm was discharged within the precincts of the town.”
Gray said police continue to urge firearm owners in the area to exercise strict safety precautions, including treating all firearms as loaded and storing them securely.
Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist based in Dunedin. He joined the Herald in 2023.