Te Kūiti dairy owner Hemant Patel was attacked by four peo-ple at his Te Kūiti Rd store last Wednesday morning. Photo: Dan Tasker
Breaking news
Three young people are being held to account in relation to a spate of recent offending in the King Country, including the aggravated robbery of a Te Kūiti mini mart.
Earlier today, several warrants were executed in Te Kūiti, and a number of evidential items were recovered, including stolen goods.
Three youths, aged between 13 and 15, were located, and youth proceedings have commenced. Charges include aggravated robbery, burglary and theft.
Area Commander Waikato Western, Inspector Andrew Mortimore, says meticulous and methodical investigation work has gone into producing this result.
“I know our community has been feeling unsettled by these recent incidents, particularly the aggravated robbery – and we hope this action sends a clear message that violence won’t be tolerated.
“My thanks go to the local staff who have worked tirelessly to hold these offenders to account.
“I’d also like to thank the community for their patience and support while we have carried out our enquiries, along with those who shared valuable information.”
5am 23 July 2026
A couple have been overwhelmed by support from the Te Kūiti community after four thugs carried out an aggravated robbery in their shop. They talked to Dan Tasker.
The owners of a Te Kūiti dairy say they have no choice but to strengthen security after robbers shattered their sense of safety.
Hemant and Bhavna Patel have operated Patel’s Mini Market dairy, which neighbours Te Kūiti’s Centennial Park, since moving to Te Kūiti in 2016.
In that time, the dairy has encountered the odd theft incident, but nothing out of the ordinary until last Wednesday, when Hemant was attacked early on a foggy morning in his Te Kūiti Rd store.
At around 7am, four people entered the store and went straight for the cigarette cabinet and cash register to stealing around $10,000 of tobacco and $1500 in cash.
The spree lasted 80 seconds, in which time the assailants damaged parts of the store, including breaking the fried chicken warmer with a hammer, and assaulted Hemant before fleeing the scene in a white station wagon.
Hemant put up a good fight to deter the robbers, including throwing a pot of boiling oil from the deep frier on one of the thieves, who was lucky enough to shield himself with a container.
Once they left, Hemant called the police immediately, while making his way behind the shop to the family home to tell Bhavna and their family the bad news.
Within minutes, the police were on-site conducting interviews, taking photos and fingerprinting the scene as the Patels came to grips with what had happened.
By 1pm, the police had finished fingerprinting and the Patels were left to the clean-up. They worked until midnight to prepare the shop for the following day’s business.
While no one had been charged when The News went to print, the Patels had been in regular contact with the police, desperate to find out who committed the criminal act.
“We’ve been ringing every day to the police, but they’re saying they’re still investigating. I really want to know every single day what’s the update,” Bhavna said.
After arriving in Auckland from their homeland of India in 2000, the Patels moved to Te Kūiti with hopes of running their own business in a smaller, more affordable town.
“We’re really hoping it’s not local people. What kind of person would do something like this in a small town?” Bhavna said.
The ordeal has left the Patels shaken and feeling like they have no choice but to ramp up their security measures to include a smoke canon and a security cage in front of the counter.
“Sometimes you think, ‘That happened in a small town, we don’t want to stop, we should go to a safe place’. But where is the safe place? In Auckland with most of our relatives, we heard this happens every day,” Bhavna said.
“We were thinking we are so lucky – touch wood – we never have any problem in Te Kūiti; they are good people, very good people.
“Maybe in a small town, people think, ‘This is not very friendly, eh? They get a cage because they’re not feeling safe from us; that’s why they have a cage’. But I think now people will understand,” she said.
In spite of the experience, the Patels have been humbled by the amount of support they have received from local people on social media and in person.
“We have never had any problems until now. Te Kūiti is a good community and people have been very kind to us. We have probably had 50 people come to support us with gifts and cards since it happened,” Hemant said.
Te Kūiti dairy owner Hemant Patel was attacked by four people at his Te Kūiti Rd store last Wednesday morning. Photo: Dan Tasker
