'King of the Streets' fighting competition attracts police attention
New Zealand MMA fighter Dan 'Hangman' Hooker is promoter of 'King of the Streets'.
Photo:
PHOTOSPORT
Police are trying to speak with the organisers of an amateur fighting competition expected to take place in Auckland on Saturday.
The 'King of the Streets'
tournament is promoted by professional mixed martial arts fighter
Dan 'Hangman' Hooker, with 32 amateur fighters competing for $50,000.
The event is also apparently linked to a social media influencer and links to an online gambling site.
Police said they were aware of the event and were assessing what was being planned against legislation.
"Police will look at any options available to us should an event proceed that has the potential to put public safety at risk or that would be operating in breach of any law," a spokesperson said.
"It's worth reminding people that organising events comes with certain responsibilities and requirements under law. These requirements are in place for good reason."
The event has been described as "straight-out thuggery" by the New Zealand's Boxing Coaches Association president Billy Meehan, who told
Checkpoint
it should not be classified as boxing.
"What you've got there is just thugs getting in there and they're just, like, absolutely smashing each other, and we're going to see somebody get seriously hurt, if not killed."
Hooker and the account linked to the fight have been approached for comment.
Promotions for the fight said it was being presented by 'TheDoctor', an online streaming, gambling and giveaway service.
When approached by RNZ, The Doctor declined to comment.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
6 hours ago
- RNZ News
Prolific shoplifter who reoffended after being bailed 13 times says she ‘stole to survive'
By By Belinda Feek, Open Justice reporter of Bianca Thomas is estimated to have stolen about $10,000 worth of groceries, clothing and petrol between July and December. File photo. Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller A prolific shoplifter with a "major problem" stealing from retail outlets and supermarkets says she was stealing "to survive". "I can't get by on the $120 I get per week from Winz," Bianca Crystal Thomas told police after being arrested in August last year. The 23-year-old spent many months of 2024 filling trolleys full of groceries or concealing clothing on herself and leaving stores, either in Hamilton or Auckland, without paying. Judge Noel Cocurullo noted during her sentencing in the Hamilton District Court today that she had been granted bail 13 times and reoffended each time. "You left court on bail and went back out and continued to steal. "You did that on a large number of occasions. "Regrettably, and sadly, Miss Thomas, the only way we could stop you from stealing was to remand you in custody." She is estimated to have stolen about $10,000 worth of groceries, clothing and petrol between July and December. That time behind bars "has been a wake-up call for her", Thomas' counsel Rhiannon Scott told the judge as she urged him not to send her client to jail on 42 theft, trespass and driving while suspended charges. But Judge Cocurullo said he struggled to believe that given the repetitive nature of her offending. Thomas was trespassed from all Countdown - now Woolworths - supermarkets in Hamilton and its wider surrounds in January 2024. Between August and December last year, she committed 13 petrol drive-offs around the Waikato and Auckland regions. On 10 of those occasions, she was driving either her own or her mother's car displaying either stolen or crudely altered registration plates; she used black tape to try to amend a letter or number. Court documents describe Thomas as a "recidivist shoplifter" who is "increasing in aggression". In June last year, she went into Woolworths St Lukes, filled a small trolley with $270 worth of groceries and left without paying. The following month, she and a co-offender went to the men's department in Farmers Chartwell and picked out five hoodies and a pair of pants. The pair went into a changing room to try to conceal them before walking out. The stolen clothing was worth about $500. Two days later, Thomas and an accomplice went to Farmers at The Base in Hamilton and put pants, socks and a T-shirt into her co-offender's backpack. This time, they were stopped and handed the items back. On 17 July, she was in Auckland at St Luke's Woolworths and stole about $1200 worth of produce, meat, seafood and beer. The following month, Thomas filled a basket full of menswear items from Farmers Glenfield after being spotted by security. When confronted by the store manager, she became "angry" and snatched the basket back before running off with the items. Woolworths Herne Bay, Birkenhead, Milford and Rototuna were all targeted in August last year. When arrested, she told police: "I only steal to survive. I can't get by on the $120 I get per week from Winz." Thomas then struck at New World Hillcrest and Pak'nSave Mill St within a day of each other in February this year, with co-offenders, stealing a further $350 of grocery items. Scott and Judge Cocurullo briefly butted heads over Thomas' behaviour on bail. Scott said her client shouldn't get an uplift for offending on bail because of the totality principle, which effectively prevents a sentence from becoming excessively long. "She's going to get one," the judge responded. "It's significant ... I count 13 occasions she was released from the court on bail. "She had chance after chance, and her response was to steal." Thomas had engaged with the Mason Clinic and if she was sentenced to home detention, she would also get support from Oranga Tamariki, which would pay for counselling, clothing, food allowances and housing. As for what would stop her offending, Scott said her client's time in custody "has certainly been a wake-up call for her". Judge Cocorullo was not in the mood to mince his words today. "You have a major problem with stealing from retailers. "You have gone out and systemically and profoundly stolen again, bringing you to court and releasing you on bail did not stop you from doing that on a large number of occasions. "All of this retail stealing affects retailers' bottom lines and their fiscal viability. "The breadth and seriousness of your offending, together with aspects of deterrence and denunciation, means that, for you, Miss Thomas, regretfully, I do not get to the position where I can give you home detention. "The only sentence I can properly land, given how expansive your offending is, is a sentence of imprisonment." Thomas, who was supported in court by her mother, sister and brother, was jailed for 21 months and disqualified from driving for six months. * This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
RNZ News
7 hours ago
- RNZ News
Speedway deal: Proposal to sell Baypark stand for $1, extend lease
Speedway could stay at Mercury Baypark until 2039. Photo: Supplied/LDR The community is being asked if speedway should stay at Mercury Baypark Stadium as the council decides whether to extend the club's lease. Baypark Speedway has called the Mount Maunganui stadium home since it was built in 2001 and has a lease to operate there until 2029. Tauranga City Council is considering a proposal that would extend speedway operations until 2039. The proposal would involve Speedway Racing Ltd buying the north stand of 15,600 seats for $1 and being responsible for its maintenance, while leasing the land from the council through the facilities arm Bay Venues. The council would retain ownership of the land and the north stand would be returned to the council at the end of the lease in 2039 for $1. Under the proposal speedway would buy and maintain the curved north stand at Baypark Stadium. Photo: NZME via LDR Baypark Speedway promoter Melissa Webb said the proposal was its preferred option for running speedway in Tauranga. If the agreement was approved, Baypark Speedway would bring more events to Tauranga that would not be limited to just speedway, said Webb. "This will be a positive for the city." Speedway would prefer a longer lease than 2039 because of the investment it would make, she said. "We intend on investing a considerable amount of money into improvements at the stadium, and we need the security and longevity for our investment." Webb said it was understandable the council wanted Tauranga ratepayers to have their say on the proposal. Councillor Kevin Schuler said before decisions about the proposal were made, the council wanted to understand the community's views. "This consultation is about testing the community's support for the proposal and weighing up what Mercury Baypark Stadium's future should look like for the next decade." The proposal provided a way for speedway to continue operating without placing immediate costs on ratepayers, he said. "If there's not strong community support for this approach, we'll explore alternative options for the site beyond 2029." Schuler said the north stand was in poor condition and required investment to remain operational. It was used almost exclusively for speedway events, around 15 times a year. "If speedway continues until 2039, it would be under new arrangements that shift the immediate cost and responsibility for maintaining the stand to Speedway Racing." "If not, there are potential opportunities to reimagine the site for future recreational or commercial uses that could serve the wider community from 2029." Tauranga City Councillor Kevin Schuler at the inauguration on August 2, 2024. Photo: LDR/David Hall Speedway was at risk of being displaced in 2022 when the commission governing the council had plans to replace the stadium with a multi-use sporting precinct for outdoor netball, track and field athletics and gymnastics. A protest was held and a "Hands Off Baypark Speedway" campaign was launched. There was also the threat of legal action if an agreement about speedway was not reached. In September 2023, the plans were changed to keep the stadium and pits and allow speedway to retain its current lease until 2029. Consultation on the speedway proposal closes at 5pm on 23 June. A drop-in session with councillors will be held at Mercury Baypark Arena Suites on 14 June from 10am to noon. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
7 hours ago
- RNZ News
Police asking for help after kayak found upside down on Lake Te Anau
Police hope the kayaker made it ashore and returned home. Photo: Supplied/Police Police are appealing for information after a kayak was found floating upside down on Lake Te Anau on Tuesday afternoon. The red and white kayak was in the water with a paddle, a stainless-steel flask and some fishing tackle nearby. Police hope the kayaker made it ashore and returned home. They are urging anyone who recognises the kayak or has failed to return home from fishing on Lake Te Anau today to get in contact.
