A business advocate is calling on the Government to urgently address New Zealand's "crime emergency" and says "enough is enough" after an Auckland dairy worker was fatally stabbed this week.
Victim Janak Patel was stabbed multiple times in the street after following a man who allegedly took the cash register drawer from Rose Cottage Superette in Sandringham on Wednesday night.
On Friday a 34-year-old man was arrested at a New Lynn address and charged with both aggravated robbery and Patel's murder. A 42-year-old man has also been charged with robbery.
The funeral for Patel is being held on Sunday afternoon. Speaking ahead of the service, Dairy and Business Owners Group chairperson Sunny Kaushal said he is focused on supporting the grieving family and being with them as much as possible. But he added the Government needs to create "urgent actions" and solutions.
"I think now they must listen to the retailers, they must see that there is a crime emergency. This needs to be stopped and this needs to be stopped immediately," Kaushal told Newshub.
"The businesses around the country are feeling there is a sense of lawlessness in the entire nation."
Emotions are high in the community, he said, but he hopes a nationwide vigil being held on Monday is peaceful and dignified.
"[We would like to] send a message out to the Government that enough is enough, this is not on, and this crime emergency needs to be looked into and we need to stop this crime urgently."
During the vigil, Kaushal said dairy businesses will shut at 12:30pm for two hours and owners will stand outside the entrance with placards in solidarity. A larger vigil will take place in front of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's electorate office in Mount Albert, he said. The Rose Cottage Superette is in her electorate.
Since Patel's death on Wednesday, Kaushal said there's been an outpouring of support from the community both in Auckland, around the country, and even from overseas.
"This is a huge, huge loss. We do not have to see a death in the community or in any family to have that kind of support. But I think it's the New Zealand way that there's so much support coming in and people are feeling for the family and their loss," Kaushal said.
"So there are so many messages like that coming from every spectrum of the public, be it business owners, politicians, or the general public, even from overseas, so they are standing with us in this pain."
As of publishing, a Givealittle page set up to support Patel's family has raised nearly $59,000. This page was created by the Dairy and Business Owners Group and Kaushal said they are "so thankful" to everyone who has donated.
On Saturday, the man charged with Patel's murder appeared in court and was granted interim name suppression. He was remanded in custody until his next appearance at the Auckland High Court on December 14.
Police prosecutor Victoria Brooker alleged the 42-year-old man also charged with robbery took the murder accused to the dairy. Police alleged the 42-year-old man was in communication with the murder accused and picked him up at the end of the incident.
The 42-year-old appeared in Auckland District Court and was also granted interim name suppression. He was remanded in custody and will appear in the Auckland District Court on Monday.
Meanwhile, Ardern spoke with Patel's family on Saturday and described the conversation as "one full of sorrow".
Visibly emotional during a press conference on Saturday, she said meeting them in person wasn't a possibility yet for several reasons.
"I'm very mindful of the fact they haven't yet laid their loved one to rest, but I will be seeking the opportunity to meet with them face-to-face, and to do that on their terms, on their timeline," she said.
Ardern also acknowledged the work police had carried out in their investigation to arrest and charge a man over Patel's death.
"That will bring some relief, of course, but it will not, of course, take away the grief that the family are feeling at this time and that is who ultimately I know we are all mindful of and continue to be focused on," she said.
The Prime Minister also defended her Government's record on crime and said they have been "looking to add tools" to combat it.
"We have not taken them away and we've looked to continually ask ourselves 'what more can we do?'" she said at the press conference.
When asked if she thought Aotearoa had a crime emergency, Ardern instead highlighted the spike of "particular criminal activity".
"For those who are facing it, it is horrific, it makes them feel vulnerable, it makes them feel targeted and it makes them feel unsafe. No New Zealander wants them operating under those circumstances."
