Petrol incident explained

Press, 17 April 1979, Page 6

Petrol incident explained

PA Wellington A case of mistaken identity might be responsible for the allegation by a Whangarei garage proprietor that gang members on their way 'to a convention at Tokoroa [had charged petrol to the I Department of Maori Af--1 fairs. ) This explanation has been offered by the department’s assistant district officer for Northland, Mr Kim Pou, in answer to the allegation

made by the proprietor — who has not disclosed his name — on Good Friday. The proprietor said that gang members travelling in a Public Service car had charged petrol to the department on a Government order form. Mr Pou said that the proprietor had probably mistaken a Maori Affairs official, who might have been on his way to the convention with gang members in his car, as one of the gang. “He was probably wearing an open-neck shirt, and while he would not look like a gang member he might not have measured up to what the proprietor thought a Maori Affairs official should wear.” said Mr Pou, who emphasised that no gang member would be authorised to charge petrol on the Maori Affairs account. No-one would “niggle” about an offical’s giving) gang members a lift, he said. I