Two prominent Auckland leaders are calling for tougher punishments for looters amid a rise in tension in flood-hit areas following Cyclone Gabrielle.
Police said five people were arrested following a burglary at a commercial building in Hastings on Thursday while three others were arrested after reports of gunshots in Hawke's Bay on Saturday evening.
Vodafone also said generators had been stolen from its mobile sites, which had cut phone coverage in storm-affected areas.
Police confirmed 42 people had been arrested in Hawke's Bay and 17 in Tairāwhiti since Tuesday.
Former Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Michael Barnett told AM on Monday it's "abhorrent" that people are looting following the cyclone.
"I think it's the most abhorrent thing that I've heard where people are taking advantage of others who have been disadvantaged. I think we should be sending a really strong signal and punishment," he told AM.
Barnett also believes there aren't enough police officers on the ground in the Eastern District despite police deploying an extra 120 staff members to the region.
"There are two sides to it. Number one, I need to feel comfortable, I need to feel safe. Number two, for those that take advantage of my disadvantage, then they need to be dealt with and a strong message needs to be sent," he said.
Auckland Councillor Josephine Bartley agreed with Barnett saying it's sad we need to plan for security following a natural disaster.
"Politicians have looked at adding it [looting] as an aggravating factor when it comes to sentencing in regards to the burglary offence, so definitely I agree," she said.
"This is some of the worst times for people and other people are taking advantage of it and it's sad that it has to be a factor when you're planning for a natural disaster. You've got to plan for looting, other things that could go wrong, so you've got to have security as part of your plan."
Justice Minister Kiri Allan told AM earlier on Monday the Government isn't currently looking at tougher measures for those caught taking advantage of the situation, but she's hoping additional police resources will get on top of the issue.
"What we are looking at doing though is making sure we've got the surge support that's required. When you've got communications down and police can't communicate with police let alone the public, things do operate differently and we saw that for a bespoke period of time," Allan told AM co-host Ryan Bridge.
"Here in Gisborne, what we are seeing is a lot more police on the ground in uniform, a real physical presence to be able to provide that assurance. That's been the focus and I understand that some of those measures have been assisting the community to feel a lot safer."
Residents in Hawke's Bay are on edge as thieves and looters target vulnerable people. Items like nappies, generators and prized possessions have been stolen from flood-damaged homes.
"The vulnerable are now getting their stuff stolen. The gangs are coming in, or looters in general. They're threatening people, stealing their stuff. We are very scared, people are very scared," Napier local Grant Porter told Newshub.
Ashbelle Wyatt has been helping people she doesn't even know and says her Onekawa house was targeted last week.
"At night time a ute pulled up outside our house, faces and number plates covered. What were they trying to do? Obviously steal from houses that had been evacuated."
Watch the full interview with Michael Barnett and Josephine Bartley above.
