A friend of a man fatally stabbed while working at an Auckland dairy on Wednesday night last week is among those calling for greater protections for dairy workers.
Janak Patel was allegedly stabbed several times about 100 metres from the Rose Cottage Superette in Sandringham.
"I know him very well. Same village," P&P Dairy's Suresh Patel told 1News in Christchurch.
"He just came to New Zealand for a bright future, and what [did] he get? He [was] killed."
Patel's death comes amid heightened fears of a crime wave sweeping across the country.
The Government responded today with a multimillion-dollar retail crime prevention package aimed at providing extra protections for small business owners.
But for Wellington dairy owners, keeping a hockey stick behind the counter appears to be the norm.
Mitesh Dairy's Daksha Patel said she keeps a hockey stick behind the counter for protection, but remains fearful working at night.
"What happened to the Auckland dairy, it's not really good," she said.
"I am scared at night-time. I always go watch out outside [to see] if someone's coming or not."
Broderick Dairy's Ray Lala said his store is fitted with cameras and a fog cannon, but he also keeps a hockey stick as a last resort.
"If I was to use it against somebody, and I strike him and hurt him, I'm the one that's going to be in trouble, so where do you draw the line?" he said.
The New Zealand Indian Central Association's Manisha Morar said shop workers are "really afraid for their lives".
"They just don't know. One day, they'll open their shops in the morning and the next minute, there's a gun pointing at them or a knife pointed at them," she said.
More than 100 protesters gathered outside the Deputy Prime Minister's office in Wellington today seeking justice over Patel's death, as well as for greater protections for shop owners. Meanwhile, dairies and shops across the country closed their doors for several hours.
"We just want something done so these things don't happen again," Lala said.
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