“Just so tragic”: Mourning for man in Auckland tennis club

By Melanie Earley of RNZ

Police are “urgently” appealing for the public's help in catching the killer of an Auckland entomologist, as the victim's friends mourn the “tragic” loss of a “tolerant and knowledgeable” man.

The victim, whose name RNZ is not disclosing, was an enthusiastic entomologist who had worked for several years in an office beneath the Blockhouse Bay Tennis Club.

He succumbed to his serious injuries late Saturday morning.

According to police, the perpetrator left the crime scene on foot.

Jacqui Knight of the Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust said she had known the man for about 10 years as the trust runs a butterfly habitat very close to the tennis club.

Knight described him as “very tolerant and knowledgeable” about all things insect-related, his passion. He walks the reserve near the club every day, looking for insects and plants, she said.

“He spent seven days a week in the office – he just loved it. He was a loner who kept to himself most of the time and wouldn't hurt a fly. It's just so tragic that this happened.”

Knight, who lives in Blockhouse Bay, said she was at the supermarket on Saturday morning when she heard a helicopter circling near the tennis club.

“I got a call telling me not to go to the butterfly habitat because there was an incident nearby. So I stayed there until the afternoon and then decided to check on a new plant I had recently planted.”

When Knight arrived, she was surprised to find that the area was still cordoned off by police and she was not allowed through.

“I started to worry because I knew my friend was there every day and I didn't know where he was.”

That evening, Knight said, she became increasingly stressed because she could not reach her boyfriend and no one else had heard from him.

“I didn't sleep much that night, so I went back there the next morning. That's when the police confirmed to me that he had been killed.”

As far as Knight knew, the man had no close relatives living in New Zealand and was originally from Australia.

“He was so eloquent and just loved the nature here, he was also very successful at what he did and I think quite a few insects were named after him.”

Knight said she last saw her boyfriend about a week before his death, as she had asked him to help her with her page on the website iNaturalist, which he frequently used.

“He was excited about this site – he had about 900,000 copies listed there.”

A bartender at the nearby Blockhouse Bay Bowling Club said he did not know much about what happened Saturday morning, but later that day police came by to check the bowling club's security cameras.

“They checked and I haven't heard anything since, so I assume there was nothing to see here, but the police were at the club all weekend.”

A police spokesman said they wanted to hear from anyone who noticed anything suspicious in the area, particularly on Rathlin Street, on Saturday.

“We urgently need any information from the public that could assist police. We are keen to collect any CCTV, dashcam or security footage from the Blockhouse Bay area. [from] around 11.30 a.m.”

On Sunday, a crime scene guard remained stationed in the park and additional officers patrolled the suburb while investigators went door-to-door to speak with residents.

Police used metal detectors and could be seen digging in nearby mulch piles.

Formal identification of the victim is expected to be completed on Sunday and an autopsy will also be performed.