Gang links reportedly probed after funeral home fire
Emergency services were called to a fire at a two-storey property on Kirkbride Rd at 11:50pm on Sunday.
The building sustained minor damage but no injuries were reported.
In a statement on Facebook, Just Funerals confirmed the fire took place at its Māngere location.
"Thank you for your questions during this time in regard to the fire that took place at one of our Funeral Home locations on Kirkbride Road.
"At this time we decline to comment on any questions by media and pushers.
"This is under police investigation."
Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Hayward said police were looking for four people who fled from the scene.
"Four people were seen running from the area following the fire and enquiries are now under way to identify and locate them," Det Snr Sgt Hayward said.
"Scene guards remain in place while a scene examination is completed today."
Police would like to hear from anyone who was in the area or could have information.
Meanwhile, Stuff is reporting it understands police are investigating whether the fire is linked to a dispute over the body of patched Mongrel Mob member Nassey August.
On Sunday, a woman posted on social media that his family members were "devastated" after not getting answers about the whereabouts of his remains.
She claimed August's body was transferred to Just Funerals after he died at North Shore Hospital last week.
She asked anyone with information - particularly anyone connected to his named next of kin - to help them be able to lay their "beloved uncle" to rest following their Māori tikanga.
"The ongoing lack of transparency has caused our whānau immense pain and distress. We will not rest until we have the truth, and until our uncle is returned to us so he may be honoured with love, respect."
Stuff reported police would not confirm if the fire was related to August's body but said they were having ongoing conversations with the next of kin following a man's death of natural causes late last week.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand Northern shift manager Josh Pennefather told RNZ a fire investigator had been at the property on Monday assisting police.
He said they sent four fire trucks to the scene on Sunday night, but when crews arrived the fire on the ground floor had been put out.
He said they stayed to monitor hotspots and to make sure the fire was out.
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Otago Daily Times
21 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Ex-All Black duped by $4m Chch Ponzi scheme
For more than seven years the Tuiras purported to operate an investment business out of Christchurch, raising more than $4m from investors hoping for high returns. However, none of the money was being invested and instead went to fund the couple's lifestyle and repay other investors. RNZ National Crime Correspondent Sam Sherwood reports. Inside Thomas and Aroha Tuira's home potential investors would be treated to tales of high-net-worth investors that were in his "proximity". Not one to shy away from a name drop, he'd say he was personally connected to the likes of NBA legend Michael Jordan and speaker and philanthropist Tony Robbins. The pitches were successful. One former All Black invested money believing his funds were being used to build a sports stadium commissioned by Jordan, while others thought their money was going towards housing projects, a dental firm and education. Between May 2014 and May 2021, the couple's company Ngākau Aroha Investments Limited, received more than $4 million from 61 investors who were promised returns. However, the reality of the situation was far from perception. Thomas, who is known as Alex, had no personal connection with Jordan or Robbins, and the Tuira's did not invest any of the funds, instead using it to fund their lifestyle and repay other investors. The couple's Ponzi scheme would eventually come crashing down after repeated requests from investors for the withdrawal of their funds and in late 2021 the Serious Fraud Office came knocking on their door. Last week Alex Tuira pleaded guilty to two representative charges of obtaining $4m by deception. On Monday, Aroha also pleaded guilty to the same charges. Court documents obtained by RNZ reveal the full story behind the couple's criminal enterprise. The Tuiras According to court documents neither Alex, nor his wife Aroha, have any formal qualifications or any experience in financial management, investment services or investing. The couple are Jehovah's witnesses and of Māori descent. They were closely associated with members of their respective communities in Christchurch. In 2019, Ngākau Aroha Investments Limited (NAIL) was incorporated with Alex listed as the director. In May 2019, Aroha was added as a director. The couple each held a 40 percent shareholding in NAIL, with the remaining 20 percent split between their three daughters. NAIL's main source of income was via investors, although it was also hired by a small number of entities. Alex gave introductory seminars to encourage Māori to become debt-free and was also hired to provide "governance mastery" and business advisory services. Alex's financial literacy seminars were pitched at a "basic level" and were modelled on seminars he had attended by other public figures such as Robbins and American businessman and author Robert Kiyosaki. Court documents say the couple "purported to operate an investment business out of Christchurch", offering investment opportunities, financial advice, and financial literacy training. "Mr and Mrs Tuira presented a facade that they were successful and well-connected businesspeople who had the ability to invest funds and generate high returns. In reality, the defendants did not operate an investment business and did not invest any of the funds." The couple's "fraudulent stratagem" involved a "continuous course of deceptive conduct". "As at the date of the first investment, the defendants' accounts were overdrawn. From the outset of the scheme, they relied on investor funds as their primary source of income." Alex was described as the "architect" of the fraudulent operation and "face of the purported business". "He pitched investment opportunities to new investors to encourage them to come on board. He was the primary presenter and outlined to potential investors his personal 'proximity' to wealthy and successful individuals and access to opportunities to generate high investment returns." Aroha was the "primary source of contact" for investors once they had been "recruited". "In addition to communicating about investments, Mrs Tuira regularly communicated with investors on a personal level to generate love and trust. Mrs Tuira also attended all the pitch meetings with investors, often prompting Mr Tuira to say certain things, and signed the various agreements alongside Mr Tuira." The couple took advantage of relationships they had developed in the Māori and Jehovah's Witness communities. "Their modus operandi involved presenting as a strong, loving whānau who embraced the principles and values of these communities. They welcomed investors, as friends and whānau, into their home." The pitch The Tuiras would arrange in-person meetings with prospective investors, often at their home. The presentation would often be accompanied by a PowerPoint which included "high-level information" about their values and connections with "wealthy and successful people" including Jordan and others. "Mr Tuira showed pictures of himself with Tony Robbins and Robert Kiyosaki and described them as personal mentors. In reality, the photos were taken when Mr Tuira attended large seminars presented by them." On several occasions, he told investors Indian billionaire Sanjiv Saddy was going to invest a billion dollars into the couple and their businesses. "While Mr Saddy is a wealthy businessman based in India and was introduced to Mr Tuira on one occasion ... he never invested in NAIL or any other business associated to the Tuira family," court documents state. Many of the investors had "limited experience" with investing. "As such, they rarely sought detail from Mr Tuira of how funds were to be invested and were satisfied by confirmation that the funds would be invested. Mr and Mrs Tuira used the promise of guaranteed high returns to encourage investment." Alex would also mention specific investment opportunities to lure them in such as former All Black Joe Moody who believed his funds were being used to build a sports stadium commissioned by Jordan. Other investors believed their money was going towards things such as housing projects, a dental firm and education. The couple would often pitch investments as "time-sensitive" and only available to certain people. In a text to a couple in June 2019, Alex said he wanted to "propose an opportunity" where he could do a 50 percent return in 16 months "plus bonuses". "Everything is in contract form as appropriate. It is time sensitive and exclusive." In November 2018 he told another investor that as they were part of the "small immediate proximity" he wanted to keep them updated with opportunities. "Right now we have our best investment deal on the table which is 6 months with a 15% Return on Investment. However because this deal is so awesome we only have a small window of opportunity to take it. So for this particular deal all paperwork would need to be complete by 4pm tomorrow. There is absolutely no obligation to take this offer, it is simply out of courtesy and love for you both that we are sharing this Arohapumau Aroha & Alex xoxo." The spreadsheet The summary of facts says despite the couple representing to investors that NAIL was an investment business, at no stage during the period of offending, were genuine investments made. Rather, the funds were used in two ways - paid to other investors as purported returns on investments, and transferred into accounts operated by the couple and used to fund their families' day-to-day expenses. "NAIL was effectively insolvent from 2017 onwards." Between May 2014 and May 2021 the couple and or NAIL received $4.7m. Of that, $4m was from investors. From that money $1.4m was payment to investors, more than $500,000 went on travel, $478,000 on personal expenditure and $270,000 on rent. Other expenses included contractors, finance, consultants and vehicle expenses. The couple took several steps to disguise their offending, such as providing false information to their accountants and setting up a new company in 2019 called Power to Me Aotearoa Tapui limited (Power to Me) and telling investors that their outstanding returns were connected to shareholdings in a "successful and promising business". In April 2019, the couple's former accountant emailed the couple expressing concerns about the viability of their "business activities". "This is of particular concern when looking at your investors and their returns, which appear to be funded (along with principal payments) by new investors. As we mentioned to you, while we realise this is not your intention, this could be perceived from an outside party (including your investors) to be a 'Ponzi Scheme' which is for all intents and purposes an illegal activity." The summary of facts says the couple told their former accountant and his colleagues that Power to Me was a "genuine business venture" and that money was being invested into it. "In reality, Mr and Mrs Tuira were not conducting any genuine business activities and their only source of income was funds obtained from investors." By mid-2021, the couple were receiving a large number of requests from investors for the withdrawal of funds. The couple tried to get new investments, but were unable to meet all of the requests. About the same time they created a spreadsheet named "here is the reality of our money 2021". The spreadsheet had three tabs - investments received, investments made, and summary. According to the pair's calculations they owed $7.9m to investors and creditors such as Finance Now, Q Card, Westpac and ANZ. Investors were given an array of explanations by the couple in their attempts to delay repaying them money including illness, delays with clearing funds and legal problems. "These successful delay tactics meant the defendants were able to continue their offending over a number of years and assisted them in identifying further investors and soliciting further investments." The SFO investigates In November 2021, the Serious Fraud Office announced they were investigating the couple following continued failures by the couple to respond to request funds to be withdrawn. In an email sent to some investors shortly after, seen by RNZ, Alex wrote that "for a variety of reasons" the expected returns on their shareholding "had not been realised to date". "That under performance will be reflected in the value of your shareholdings. "That has caused disquiet and lead to what are in our opinion unjustified aspirations against our good names and a complaint to the Serious Fraud Office" (sic). He said all such claims were denied. "We are taking legal advice concerning initiating defamation proceedings. "Although we have received a number of messages of support, others apparently regarded their share purchases as some form of personal guarantee of return (which was never the case) and the situation has deteriorated to a point where we no longer feel able to continue to work with some people." The SFO's investigation would reveal the couple obtained by deception $3.9m from 55 investors including former Ngāi Tahu chairperson Sir Mark Solomon. In May 2023 the SFO announced it had charged the couple. The couple were due to go to trial last week. However, Alex pleaded guilty to his charges before it began and then on Monday Aroha did the same. The pair are due to be sentenced in November.
NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
Police Minister Mark Mitchell's past police work revealed in health battle
'Basically it just felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest, just very hard to breathe,' he says. He was treated for bacterial pneumonia, but testing traced it back to lung damage he received while attending a fire in Gisborne as a young cop in the 1990s. With his dog, Czar, they had tracked an arsonist with a bottle of accelerant from a burning school. It was the dead of night in summer, they were hot on his trail, tracking him to a residential area. The arsonist had poured accelerant through the open window of a house and the curtains were ablaze. Mitchell was the first to arrive, broke into the house and woke a sleeping mother and son to get them out. 'But of course, when I went into the house, I inhaled some hot and toxic smoke, which did impact my lungs, which I found out has created a bit of scarring, which means that as you get older and you ... have these respiratory or chest infections, then that's an aggravating factor. That explained why it was taking me so long to try and shake this thing.' He had also felt some effects at the time. 'I was in my 20s, you know, like a hard-charging 20-year-old doesn't think about it too much. I had to use an inhaler for 12 months, then I sort of came right and never thought about it again.' He is back on an inhaler now, steroids, and hopes it will be temporary. Mark Mitchell and Czar after he was retired. Photo / Nicola Topping His favourite pastime is spear-fishing, and he said it might impact how far he can go down holding his breath. It wasn't his only injury in the line of duty. His face was rebuilt after getting 'a hammering' from the Mongrel Mob. He said he was tracking them with Czar following a gang rape in Gisborne, but they were waiting for him. 'There were four of them, and they jumped me and they got me a real good one.' Czar attacked them, but Mitchell was left with severe facial injuries. 'The doctors thought the nerve that runs under your eye was severed. That nerve gives you all the feeling in your face, right? So I had no feeling in one side of my face. And so when you smile, you can't even feel your own smile. 'It's the most awful, unnerving feeling ever.' But he had maxillofacial surgery at Waikato Hospital, and when they rebuilt the eye socket, they released the nerve that had been trapped with broken bone. 'I woke up and I had the feeling back in my face again.' But it was held together with mesh and nuts and bolts. It was while he was serving as a dog handler in Rotorua that he got stabbed. He had been approaching a young man with a Samurai sword who was wearing a bulletproof vest and heading towards the hospital. Czar went for the offender in an effort to get him to the ground but instead of incapacitating him, he grabbed the offender's vest rather than his flesh. Mark Mitchell and Czar who both recovered from stab wounds. Photo / Supplied 'The guy just brought the sword straight down and stabbed my dog straight down through between the shoulder blades,' says Mitchell. Mitchell then went in to try and push the guy over, but the offender had tied the sword to his arm. The sword went through Mitchell's elbow. 'I was like a shish kebab.' But as the offender fell to the ground, the sword came out as well because it was connected to the offender. 'And it's the pulling back out that does all the damage. It's not actually the going through, it's the coming back out. That's the bit that cuts and slices everything out.' The hospital staff came rushing out to help Mitchell staunch his wound, and Czar was rushed to the vet and miraculously saved. It's the wound from the stabbing that Mitchell lives with every day. 'I've never had a pain-free day because it's done all the nerves.' He has had many operations on it, and he sees a specialist every year. 'I'm waiting for medical science to change, and this might sound awful, but when you live every day with chronic pain, there are days, and I have had the conversations around 'just take it, take the arm off.' 'But the problem is that if you take it off, you still end up with phantom pains, so you may not actually get rid of the pain, and then you end up without an arm. ' Mitchell used to take painkillers but stopped them when he went to the Middle East, originally with the private security company Control Risk Group. 'I realised that they blew your decision-making a bit.' He survived three explosions in vehicles caused by IEDs (improvised explosive devices), but the last one was almost directly under the vehicle, so he got a whole lot of shrapnel up into his lower back and backside. 'What that's done is given me a lot of nerve damage, which has affected my right leg.' He was originally in a training role in various Iraqi services, including the technical support unit (TSU) in Basra in southern Iraq and then became embedded in the TSU. Mark Mitchell returned to Iraq in 2017 as Minister of Defence, seen here at Camp Taji. Photo / NZDF Sam Shepherd He said he spent a lot of time in Nasiriyah as part of the coalition provisional authority providing protective services. That was when he came across Rory Stewart, who now runs The Rest is Politics podcast with former Downing Street spin doctor Alistair Campbell. Mitchell: 'I was the head of the close protection team, and [Stewart] was deputy governor. He's an extraordinary guy, an amazing guy in terms of, even back then. 'He's packed full of EQ. He understood the country probably as good as anyone from the interim government. He would listen and negotiate, but he was as tough as they come.' Mitchell had several other dogs after Czar retired, but it is clear that none matched him. Czar was sent to stay with a police officer and his family in the Bay of Plenty after the officer received threats, but on the basis that when Czar was near the end of his life, he would be returned to Mitchell on his lifestyle block in Taupo, and that day came. 'He came back to me, and he was going downhill rapidly, so the whole dog section came over. 'We put him in his blues. The vet came out, and we had to put him down. We had a ceremony and we buried him up on the hill where you can see the mountains.' The people who bought the property from Mitchell are running a homestay, and they built a cabin near the burial site. 'The cabin is called Czar's Rest.' Audrey Young is the NZ Herald's senior political correspondent. She was Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards in 2023, 2020 and 2018. She was political editor from 2003 to 2021.
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
Christchurch Ponzi scheme: $4m fraud by Tuiras unravels in court
Between May 2014 and May 2021, the couple's company, Ngākau Aroha Investments Limited, received more than $4 million from 61 investors who were promised returns. However, the reality of the situation was far from perception. Thomas, who is known as Alex, had no personal connection with Jordan or Robbins, and the Tuiras did not invest any of the funds, instead using it to fund their lifestyle and repay other investors. The couple's Ponzi scheme would eventually come crashing down after repeated requests from investors for the withdrawal of their funds, and in late 2021 the Serious Fraud Office came knocking on their door. Last week, Alex Tuira pleaded guilty to two representative charges of obtaining $4m by deception. On Monday, Aroha also pleaded guilty to the same charges. Court documents obtained by RNZ reveal the full story behind the couple's criminal enterprise. Alex Tuira claimed he was personally connected to former NBA player Michael Jordan. Photo / Getty Images The Tuiras According to court documents, neither Alex nor his wife Aroha have any formal qualifications or any experience in financial management, investment services or investing. The couple are Jehovah's Witnesses. They were closely associated with members of their respective communities in Christchurch. In 2019, Ngākau Aroha Investments Limited (NAIL) was incorporated, with Alex listed as the director. In May 2019, Aroha was added as a director. The couple each held a 40% shareholding in NAIL, with the remaining 20% split between their three daughters. NAIL's main source of income was via investors, although it was also hired by a small number of entities. Alex gave introductory seminars to encourage Māori to become debt-free and was also hired to provide 'governance mastery' and business advisory services. Alex's financial literacy seminars were pitched at a 'basic level' and were modelled on seminars he had attended by other public figures such as Robbins and American businessman and author Robert Kiyosaki. Court documents say the couple 'purported to operate an investment business out of Christchurch', offering investment opportunities, financial advice, and financial literacy training. 'Mr and Mrs Tuira presented a facade that they were successful and well-connected businesspeople who had the ability to invest funds and generate high returns. In reality, the defendants did not operate an investment business and did not invest any of the funds.' The couple's 'fraudulent stratagem' involved a 'continuous course of deceptive conduct'. 'As at the date of the first investment, the defendants' accounts were overdrawn. From the outset of the scheme, they relied on investor funds as their primary source of income.' Alex was described as the 'architect' of the fraudulent operation and 'face of the purported business'. 'He pitched investment opportunities to new investors to encourage them to come on board. He was the primary presenter and outlined to potential investors his personal 'proximity' to wealthy and successful individuals and access to opportunities to generate high investment returns.' Aroha was the 'primary source of contact' for investors once they had been 'recruited'. 'In addition to communicating about investments, Mrs Tuira regularly communicated with investors on a personal level to generate love and trust. Mrs Tuira also attended all the pitch meetings with investors, often prompting Mr Tuira to say certain things, and signed the various agreements alongside Mr Tuira.' The couple took advantage of relationships they had developed in the Māori and Jehovah's Witness communities. 'Their modus operandi involved presenting as a strong, loving whānau who embraced the principles and values of these communities. They welcomed investors, as friends and whānau, into their home.' The couple have pleaded guilty to two representative charges of obtaining by deception. Photo / RNZ, Nate McKinnon The pitch The Tuiras would arrange in-person meetings with prospective investors, often at their home. The presentation would often be accompanied by a PowerPoint which included 'high-level information' about their values and connections with 'wealthy and successful people' including Jordan and others. 'Mr Tuira showed pictures of himself with Tony Robbins and Robert Kiyosaki and described them as personal mentors. In reality, the photos were taken when Mr Tuira attended large seminars presented by them.' On several occasions, he told investors Indian billionaire Sanjiv Saddy was going to invest a billion dollars into the couple and their businesses. 'While Mr Saddy is a wealthy businessman based in India and was introduced to Mr Tuira on one occasion ... he never invested in NAIL or any other business associated to the Tuira family,' court documents state. Many of the investors had 'limited experience' with investing. 'As such, they rarely sought detail from Mr Tuira of how funds were to be invested and were satisfied by confirmation that the funds would be invested. Mr and Mrs Tuira used the promise of guaranteed high returns to encourage investment.' Alex would also mention specific investment opportunities to lure them in such as former All Black Joe Moody, who believed his funds were being used to build a sports stadium commissioned by Jordan. Other investors believed their money was going towards things such as housing projects, a dental firm and education. The couple would often pitch investments as 'time-sensitive' and only available to certain people. In a text to a couple in June 2019, Alex said he wanted to 'propose an opportunity' where he could do a 50% return in 16 months 'plus bonuses'. 'Everything is in contract form as appropriate. It is time sensitive and exclusive.' In November 2018, he told another investor that as they were part of the 'small immediate proximity' he wanted to keep them updated with opportunities. 'Right now we have our best investment deal on the table which is 6 months with a 15% Return on Investment. However because this deal is so awesome we only have a small window of opportunity to take it. So for this particular deal all paperwork would need to be complete by 4pm tomorrow. There is absolutely no obligation to take this offer, it is simply out of courtesy and love for you both that we are sharing this Arohapumau Aroha & Alex xoxo.' The spreadsheet The summary of facts says despite the couple representing to investors that NAIL was an investment business, at no stage during the period of offending, were genuine investments made. Rather, the funds were used in two ways – paid to other investors as purported returns on investments, and transferred into accounts operated by the couple and used to fund their families' day-to-day expenses. 'NAIL was effectively insolvent from 2017 onwards.' Between May 2014 and May 2021 the couple and or NAIL received $4.7m. Of that, $4m was from investors. From that money $1.4m was payment to investors, more than $500,000 went on travel, $478,000 on personal expenditure and $270,000 on rent. Other expenses included contractors, finance, consultants and vehicle expenses. The couple took several steps to disguise their offending, such as providing false information to their accountants and setting up a new company in 2019 called Power to Me Aotearoa Tapui limited (Power to Me) and telling investors that their outstanding returns were connected to shareholdings in a 'successful and promising business'. In April 2019, the couple's former accountant emailed the couple expressing concerns about the viability of their 'business activities'. 'This is of particular concern when looking at your investors and their returns, which appear to be funded (along with principal payments) by new investors. As we mentioned to you, while we realise this is not your intention, this could be perceived from an outside party (including your investors) to be a 'Ponzi Scheme' which is for all intents and purposes an illegal activity.' The summary of facts says the couple told their former accountant and his colleagues that Power to Me was a 'genuine business venture' and that money was being invested into it. 'In reality, Mr and Mrs Tuira were not conducting any genuine business activities and their only source of income was funds obtained from investors.' By mid-2021, the couple were receiving a large number of requests from investors for the withdrawal of funds. The couple tried to get new investments, but were unable to meet all of the requests. About the same time, they created a spreadsheet named 'here is the reality of our money 2021'. The spreadsheet had three tabs – investments received, investments made and summary. According to the pair's calculations they owed $7.9m to investors and creditors such as Finance Now, Q Card, Westpac and ANZ. Investors were given an array of explanations by the couple in their attempts to delay repaying them money including illness, delays with clearing funds and legal problems. 'These successful delay tactics meant the defendants were able to continue their offending over a number of years and assisted them in identifying further investors and soliciting further investments.' The SFO investigates In November 2021, the Serious Fraud Office announced they were investigating the couple following continued failures by the couple to respond to requests for funds to be withdrawn. In an email sent to some investors shortly after, seen by RNZ, Alex wrote that 'for a variety of reasons' the expected returns on their shareholding 'had not been realised to date'. 'That under-performance will be reflected in the value of your shareholdings. 'That has caused disquiet and lead to what are in our opinion unjustified aspirations against our good names and a complaint to the Serious Fraud Office' (sic). He said all such claims were denied. 'We are taking legal advice concerning initiating defamation proceedings. 'Although we have received a number of messages of support, others apparently regarded their share purchases as some form of personal guarantee of return (which was never the case) and the situation has deteriorated to a point where we no longer feel able to continue to work with some people.' The SFO's investigation would reveal the couple obtained by deception $3.9m from 55 investors including former Ngāi Tahu chairperson Sir Mark Solomon. In May 2023, the SFO announced it had charged the couple. The couple were due to go to trial last week. However, Alex pleaded guilty to his charges before it began and then, on Monday, Aroha did the same. The pair are due to be sentenced in November. – RNZ
