Sign In / Register
Police are asking the public for any information which might help them track down an eight-tonne yellow Yanmar excavator that was stolen from a job site in the Dome around mid-morning last Thursday (August 10).
The digger was in the rest area on State Highway 1, just south of the Hoteo Bridge.
It is owned by Te Aratika Infrastructure, which is working with Vector on laying new cable from Wellsford to Warkworth.
Operations manager Trevor Bracken says the digger was locked and behind gates.
“We loaded up the truck with metal and carted it to Goatley Road around mid-morning,” Bracken says. “We were probably only away a couple of hours. Whoever took the machine would have needed a Class 4 truck to take it away, so it was a pretty brazen act in the middle of the day.”
The company has been working in the Dome for about 18 months and this is the second major piece of equipment it has lost.
Earlier this year, a 3.5 tonner Yanmar excavator was taken from their yard, just south of Falls Bridge in Warkworth.
Bracken says a new eight-tonne digger is worth around $120,000 and its theft has had a big impact on the business.
“It’s slowed the job down, but it’s also pretty disheartening when you are trying to do your best. Whoever took the gear must have been watching us and got to know our routine.”
Police say they are following positive lines of enquiry.
“Given its size, it would be difficult for thieves to sell a digger like this, but not impossible,” a police spokesperson said. “They would likely approach prospective buyers in a secretive manner.”
Anyone who was in the Wayby Station Road area last Thursday and saw anything suspicious, is asked to contact Police on the 105 phone service or online at https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105, using Update My Report.
The reference file number is 230811/1333.
Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111
