Dairies and convenience stores remained open in Wellington today, even as protestors gathered in large numbers in Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch demanding stricter laws against youth offenders involved in burglaries and ram raids.
Mukesh Patel of the Wellington Indian Association (WIA) said : “ As per my knowledge and [after] talking to few people, no dairies were closed in protest [in Wellington] today.”
Ishwar Patel, a convenience store owner in downtown Wellington, told the Indian Weekender: “I called other dairy owners to enquire if there was a protest today, and they said No.”
The story was the same in Lower Hutt, with dairy owner Dhaval Patel saying “all the dairies are open and running as usual.”
Daily Stop convenience Store owner Vruthi, who catered to customers in downtown Wellington , said she was not aware of any protest held by dairy owners in Wellington today.
Vruthi, who took part in last week’s protest in Wellington, said she and her husband have taken the decision not to resist any robbery attempt should it happen in their store. “Let them take what they want from the shop. Our lives are more valuable than money,” she told the Indian Weekender.
Ishwar Patel expressed disappointment at the protest rally held in Wellington last week. “I expected a crowd of at least 600 people. But barely 150 turned up to protest.”
One Central Wellington dairy owner was cynical of last week’s protest. “Dairy owners pretended to close their shops. The husband attended the protest while the wife was serving customers in the shop. That means they are more keen to make money.” He did not expect the government to change the law.
Newtown-based Jimi, a small business owner, said the current protest was late in coming. He said killings [in dairy burglaries] have taken place in the past, and the culprits have got away. He charged the government with gross indifference to the plight of small businesses who have been victims of retail crime down the years in New Zealand.