Foul play accusations after Mexted fire

Accusations of foul play have been made in the wake of fire investigators finding the blaze which burned down the Hawke's Bay bach of former All Black Murray Mexted started in two different places.

Mr Mexted's insurance company found there were two seats to the fire at Mahanga on March 4, he said today.

The bach owners last month won approval from independent planning commissioners to subdivide two sections into six and build holiday homes on two of the sites.

The bach, a converted tin shed used as sleeping quarters, was to be demolished to make way for the subdivision, but was found burning at dawn.

Fire crews from Mahia and Nuhaka were able to prevent flames spreading to two smaller sheds, used to store kayaks and fishing equipment.

Mr Mexted and three friends bought an the acre of land on the Mahia Peninsula in 2004, and the rugby player has previously said he wanted a 120m sea wall to protect the area in front of his property. The property is in a coastal hazard zone, at potential risk of erosion.

A local residents' group, Matanga E Tu, has said the proposed development has raised concerns about gentrification of the area, and that some people were concerned about the idea of a sea wall, but has denied its members were involved in the fire-setting.

Members of the group who live nearby rescued kayaks and other property from the outbuildings after spotting smoke billowing from the home and alerting the fire brigade. One Mahanga E Tu member, Peter Krzanich, who helped save the kayaks from the flames, told the New Zealand Herald that the fire may have been deliberately lit to discredit the group, which went to the Environment Court to oppose the development.

Mr Mexted told TV3 that communities lived or failed on the decency of the people who lived there, and that one group of people could hurt the whole community.

Before the fire, he received a threat from a person who told him: "We don't want another Blue Bay, do we Murray?"

Another suspected arson, in 2008 at Blue Bay, Opoutama, 10km from Mahanga, burned down the first house of a subdivision which replaced a popular camping ground. No one was charged over that fire.

Mr Mexted told TV3 he would not be frightened off from Mahanga: "I like the tussock grass, the sand and the sound of the ocean - it gives me the peace that I want."

- NZPA