'Macho' bogus fisheries officer makes scenes

A bogus fisheries officer who told people to throw their catch back was later caught doing wheelspins.

Thames Coromandel District Council has confirmed reports of a man impersonating both a council worker and a fisheries officer.

Council parks and reserves field representative Chris Howell said he had a run-in with the man, whose car was sign-written with a district council logo, in Tuateawa, northeast of Coromandel town.

"He was launching his boat and he was doing wheelspins around the car park making a fool of himself," Mr Howell said.

He had confronted the man and removed a set of magnets, featuring the council's logo, from his car.

"I said to him 'it's not a good example, you're not the bylaws officer' and he threatened me.

"He said to me that 'it (the magnets) had better be on the car when I get back'."

The man had been acting "macho" and "important", he said.

Several people had reported residents and visitors having problems with the man, who had been pretending to be a bylaws officer, but were reluctant to identify him, Mr Howell said.

The man's car and boat trailer were both found to be unregistered and unwarranted, giving no clues to his identity.

Mr Howell said he believed the man had taken issue over camping, boat parking and launching and, on one occasion, had demanded kina be put back in the sea. He had also claimed to be a Ministry of Fisheries staff member.

In each case the man had not been able to pull off the ruse because of offensive language and over-the-top behaviour, council environmental services manager Craig Birkett said.

"He was intimidating people, being abusive, just generally being not very pleasant.

"Most officers wouldn't behave like that so they worked it out pretty quickly."

The matter has been turned over to police, who are investigating, Mr Birkett said.