Whangarei rallies behind attack victim

You are NOT our town! (Emmy & Me/Facebook)
You are NOT our town! (Emmy & Me/Facebook)

Video: Whangarei Mayor Sheryl Mai and walk organiser Jane Frazerhurst

The Whangarei community has rallied behind the female victim of an abduction attack, with more than 1000 people turning up for a walk of solidarity this afternoon.

The woman, in her early 20s, was jogging on the Hatea Loop early on Friday morning when she was attacked, dragged into a car and viciously assaulted at a house by a 40-year-old man.

The walk around the loop started at 5pm this evening, beginning at the Canopy Bridge.

Local resident Donna Palmer says the turn-out was unbelievable.

"There's well over 1000 people. It's just amazing," says Ms Palmer.

"Just so many people have come and they're all united together."

Whangarei rallies behind attack victim

(Jahanna Hollis / Facebook)

Organiser Jane Frazerhurst says the idea for the walk came about from a group of women who regularly run the track. She says it's about showing the community's support for the victim. 

"It was really important to get everyone together and show our support and strength as a community."

Mayor Sheryl Mai says the spirit behind the walk is a much more accurate depiction of the Whangarei community.

"We want the world to see what our community is really like and that this isolated incident, which is absolutely ghastly, is not what normally happens in Whangarei," says Ms Mai.

Ms Mai added the Whangarei District Council will be fast-tracking the installation of lights along the Hatea Track to improve safety.

"Thousands of people are using the loop on a daily basis and we definitely want to encourage people to continue to do that, and it's up to us now to eliminate any safety concerns totally."

The attack has led to an outpouring of support for the victim on social media.

Blogger Nichole Brown wrote a post on her Facebook page, Emmy and Me: "You are NOT our town." The post has had more than 50,000 views, more than 1000 'likes' and 300 'shares'.

Ms Brown told Newshub while she doesn't know the girl personally, she thinks the attack has struck at the heart of the community.

"It feels very personal to me and I think it feels very personal to everyone here. We've all taken it pretty personally because it's somewhere that we love, in a place that we love."

Whangarei Police sergeant Mohammed Atiq says while this kind of attack is rare, people should take precautions when they go out for a run.

"It's also not advisable to go in dark hours of the morning especially if there is not enough lighting in the area, and if you've got a buddy to go with that helps."

Sgt Atiq says remaining aware of your surroundings is important when running alone.

The alleged attacker was caught by police within hours of the abduction at around 6:30am on Friday.

The man, who has interim name suppression, is to appear in court on May 9 charged with wounding with intent, abduction and unlawful sexual connection.

Newshub.