Hawke's Bay Rugby CEO Jay Campbell. (File photo) Photo: RNZ / Kate Green
The head of Hawke's Bay Rugby says a shotgun attack on a team van at the weekend was "deplorable" and that protocols at the match were not followed.
Police are following "strong lines of enquiry" after a fiery rugby match at Bill Mathewson Park in Hastings was called off and a team van shot at on Saturday.
Hawke's Bay Rugby chief executive Jay Campbell said the incident was "very, very disappointing".
"Rugby prides itself on bringing communities together and to have something like this happen - it's deplorable, really."
Campbell told RNZ the regional organisation had received reports on the incident from the two clubs involved, as well as from the referee and police.
Campbell said there were game day protocols that the Tamatea Rugby Club clearly had not adhered to when hosting the match.
"One of them is the field needs to be roped off - and that wasn't done right - and having a ground controller."
He said they were working with the club on why the protocols were not followed.
Campbell told RNZ this was not the first gang-related issue to happen in Hawke's Bay but it was a shame it had happened during a rugby match.
"Rugby is generally 100 percent a really safe environment, where communities come together and play."
He said community leaders needed to work on eradicating these issues from sport and the community.
The team van was attacked after a match between Tamatea and Young Māori Party (YMP) third-division teams.
The match was abandoned early due to safety concerns, but YMP's van encountered trouble after it left.
The Hastings YMP was established in 1956 and is not related to the political organisation Te Pāti Māori nor the Young Māori Party rugby club based in Gisborne.
Police on Sunday said the shotgun attack was "gang-linked".
'Completely out of their control' - Hastings councillor
Hastings District councillor Malcolm Dixon told RNZ he was absolutely shocked by the event.
"I felt sorry for the wider community, [and] I actually felt sorry for all of those ... at the rugby game, because it was completely out of all their control."
Dixon said he had previously been a local rugby referee for 35 years and that, historically, both clubs had gang links.
"This is a historic problem they've had for a long, long, long time with the YMP and Tamatea, because there's two different [gangs] involved.
"And look, most of the time they go very, very well but occasionally the unexpected happens."
'Our sports grounds are supposed to be safe places'
Ngāti Kahungunu iwi chairperson Bayden Barber also condemned the shooting that took place after the game.
"This sort of behaviour has no place in our community. Our sports grounds are supposed to be safe places for whānau to enjoy sport and recreation.
"The violence that took place over the weekend was disgraceful. We are very fortunate that no one was injured - or worse - by these actions."
Since news of the Hastings incident emerged, there has been a report of a second sports event involving gang members over the weekend - this time in Paraparaumu, on the Kāpiti Coast.
Police said one person was arrested following a disorder incident at Te Atiawa Park on Sunday, where a women's social softball tournament was being held.
One person, believed to be involved in the disorder incident, was found with drugs.
The police said it appeared to be gang-related, and were continuing their enquiries.
RNZ has contacted the organisers of the softball tournament for comment.
