Migrant family’s safer life dream shattered after two crimes in three days

News
Crime

Author: Rachel Maher,
Publish Date: Tue, 7 Jul 2026, 4:25pm

A family who moved to New Zealand seeking a safe life say that dream has been shattered after they were targeted twice by criminals in just three days.

Gabriel Rodriguez says the offending has left them thousands of dollars out of pocket and questioning how they will support their young family.

“Crime is quite literally knocking on our doors, and hard-working families are paying the price,” she said.

She and her family moved to New Zealand nine years ago from Colombia and had so far felt welcomed and at home in the country. But a “devastating” week of crime had shattered that sense of security.

In the space of three days, the family were targeted twice.

An online bank hacking scam drained $600 from Rodriguez’s account on Sunday, June 28, despite her debit card never leaving her wallet.

Then a thief broke into their vehicles outside their Ellerslie home early on Wednesday, July 1.

The thieves stole her husband’s plastering tools, putting his job at risk.

The vehicle break-ins were captured on CCTV, which showed the thief taking multiple trips back and forth from the cars to an unknown location out of view, their arms full with bags and tools.

Rodriguez, 36, returned to work after a year on maternity leave just weeks ago, using their savings to spend extra time at home with their firstborn son who has just turned 1.

With little savings left, Rodriguez said they had been left scrambling to find $5000 to replace her husband’s tools as well as pay their bills.

“We are feeling devastated at the moment.

“We are struggling to pay our rent and I just used a lot of our savings during my maternity leave.

“We do not have any family here; we do not have any help.”

Rodriguez said as well as his tools, her husband’s wallet had been stolen. The family were worried about how they would continue to earn a living.

The wallet thief immediately made a string of fraudulent purchases, including groceries, petrol, electronics, an Uber ride and online shopping, before the bank blocked the card.

The vehicle break-in had been reported to police, but Rodriguez said the family were now dealing with the emotional and financial toll.

A police spokesperson said they had examined the scene, but this had not led to any “positive identification”.

“Inquiries remain ongoing, which will include receiving CCTV footage at locations where the stolen cards were used.”

Rodriguez said her family had worked hard and made significant sacrifices to build a life in New Zealand. But the repeated crimes had left them questioning whether the country was still the haven they believed it to be.