Gang member Hone Neal, who was shot by police, appears in court with co-accused

Hone Haunui Neal (above) and Hope Waimata Waitere appeared briefly in the Hamilton District Court today.

A 40-year-old gang member who was shot by police in a Hamilton carpark after an armed standoff has made a brief appearance in court.

Hone Haunui Neal was taken to Waikato Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after allegedly presenting a gun at officers on Ulster St just before 9am yesterday.

Neal and his co-accused, Hope Waimata Waitere, both appeared in the Hamilton District Court this afternoon.

Neal and Waitere, 29, face charges of kidnapping, wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and aggravated burglary.

Neal, who was wearing an orange tracksuit today and didn’t appear to have any visible injuries, faces an additional charge of using a firearm against law enforcement.

Through his counsel, Gerard Walsh, he entered not guilty pleas to all charges.

Neal didn’t seek bail and was remanded in custody by Community Magistrate Ngaire Mascelle to reappear in court in April for a case review hearing.

Waitere was remanded in custody without plea to reappear next week for a bail hearing.

‘Aggravated burglary of Hamilton home’

The pair’s charges are understood to stem from an aggravated burglary at a Hamilton home during the early hours of January 29.

Shortly after Neal, Waitere, and several others allegedly entered the home, the occupants also got home.

It’s alleged the occupants were assaulted and had possessions taken from them before the group left.

They then went to a second property to meet another person, who was also allegedly attacked.

The firearm charge stemmed from Wednesday, when Neal was allegedly spotted by police in his Subaru at the Ulster St superette.

A man was taken to hospital after he was shot outside the Ulster St superette in the Hamilton suburb of Whitiora. Photo / Facebook

Neal is alleged to have bought some items from the store and got back into his car before a police patrol car blocked it in.

He allegedly reversed his car as two police officers approached and saw Neal pointing a firearm at them.

They retreated, and at some point officers fired a shot.

Neal is understood to have suffered a minor injury to his nose.

Soon after, both Neal and Waitere were arrested.

‘Referred to the IPCA’

Acting Waikato district commander Inspector Will Loughrin said he was proud of how his officers handled the situation.

Loughrin earlier confirmed a critical investigation had begun, with the shooting also to be referred to the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA), as was standard procedure.

A nearby resident also heard gunfire, and police told him to stay home, while others could be seen being escorted by police to their houses.

Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for 11 years and has been a journalist for 22.