Nectar restaurant on The Strand in Tauranga had to lockdown after a gang incident. Photo / Alex Cairns
OPINION
A city restaurant is locked down after gang members chase a man into a chiller as he screams “they’re going to kill me”.
It sounds like a movie plot.
Unfortunately, it is not. The Bay of Plenty Times reported last week that gang members chased a man into Nectar on The Strand on a Thursday afternoon. Staff had to lock the Tauranga restaurant down to stop them from getting inside and later found a “terrified” man cowering in their chiller.
It is not the first time businesses in Tauranga’s CBD have had to deal with this sort of disruption.
Nectar’s owner Jessica Mackenzie has described the state of the city as “a joke” and I agree.
Other CBD businesses say there is a big problem with high and drunk people in the area and that has worsened in the last 10 years.
This is unacceptable. Hospitality has had it bad enough during and after Covid, and having to deal with this kind of antisocial behaviour is way outside their job description.
Owners say there is nothing they can do. It has gotten so bad businesses have taken matters into their own hands.
Downtown Tauranga’s new initiative to help monitor and prevent the issues businesses are having and its plans for a platform where businesses can fill out incident reports for police and the city council are commendable.
It’s so important to me to give every vulnerable animal the chance at life they deserve. That’s why APA!’s No Kill mission is at the heart of everything I do, even at home. When my own pup Echo came to APA! during Hurricane Harvey, she and her brother had distemper, a dangerous virus with symptoms like tremors, lethargy, and fever.
Echo’s brother sadly passed away shortly after arriving at APA!, but
Echo has been by my side ever since. If Echo had stayed much longer in
another city without the resources to give her the round-the-clock care
and mobility support she needed, she might not have grown up into the
talkative companion she is today. Needless euthanasia is still an unfortunate reality for pets like Echo in cities that haven’t adopted No Kill yet.
Without APA!’s experience and passion for saving pets like Echo,
animals with severe illnesses or injuries might have nowhere to turn.
Because of the lifesaving and innovative programs pioneered here
(including for dogs with distemper!), vulnerable pets have a shot at
recovery and the life they deserve. We can only save animals in need and give them the chance to thrive in loving homes because of the support of friends like you!
I fostered Echo as she battled the virus, which left her paralyzed at just 8 weeks old. Echo
was sick during her critical growth phases as a puppy and still lives
with the lasting effects of her fight with distemper. Her front leg
sticks out to the side but she can scoot around the yard faster than
many dogs with 4 fully functioning legs! She has a cart that helps give
her limbs a rest from being laid on. All this means that, despite her
rough start to life,Echo’s routine just looks a little different than it might for other dogs!
So many vulnerable animals like her just need some extra love and care
to survive and thrive. When you support APA!’s lifesaving programs
today,you’ll help pets like Echo survive tough battles with illness and injury.