A self-described "nanny" from Cambridge who took matters into her own hands when she saw ram raiders smashing through the town's Spark store is facing a massive repair bill.
The Cambridge grandmother, 63, was out for an early morning coffee run on Easter Monday when she saw a vehicle smash through the front of the Spark Store on Victoria St.
The woman, who didn't want to be identified, said her instincts took over and she decided "it's not happening".
The woman reportedly drove over the median strip and rammed an additional car that's believed to be a getaway vehicle that was waiting for the offenders inside.
"They all came out of Spark like bees from a hive, yelling. I tried to reverse but couldn't, so I hit the car hard again," she told Cambridge News.
The woman, who has been nicknamed "rammy granny", has been assessing the damage to her vehicle and is facing a repair bill of up to $10,000.
A Givealittle page, which is still pending moderation, has been created by the Hamilton and Districts Crime Information Group with the aim to help the woman pay for repairs to her vehicle.
"Everyone has heard about the nana who drove her car into the group of youths robbing a store," the Givealitte page said.
"This has inspired us to help raise money for her to cover the costs of the damage to her car which if insurance doesn't come to the party could be over $10,000 worth."
An update on the Givealittle page said they're waiting for the woman to confirm that her insurance won't pay for the damage - but at this stage, it's "not looking positive".
"On that note, we have made the decision all funds will go to nana and she can decide what to do if there are donations left over but indications are it could be well over $10,000 worth of damage, the Givealittle page said.
"Please help support us to help her. She does want to remain anonymous but is overwhelmed with everyone's kindness."
At the time of writing, just under $14,000 has been raised in two days, with donors voicing their support.
"We think you are awesome! One person wrote while another said, "Age is no barrier, good on you!"
A third person said: "Really thankful there are still people who stand up to bullies in this country! And more thankful that this page is a display of overwhelming support of a courageous reaction!"
Another person wrote, "A real-life Batman" while another added, "New Zealander of the Year....well done Granny".
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins was asked on AM about the woman's actions but said he hadn't seen the story.
He told AM it's the police's responsibility to make people face the consequences for their actions.
"I think the safest thing for the rest of the community to do would be to make sure they're reporting any of these incidents to police and then to support the police and let the police get on and do their job," Hipkins told AM.
