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A fire destroyed the Rainbow Youth building in the historic village of Tauranga on June 16.
Two men accused of setting fire to the Rainbow Youth building in Tauranga are said to have used turpentine and a garbage can to start the fire.
Alexander James Burgess, 33, and Zechariah Phillips, 29, appeared in Tauranga District Court charged with arson.
Burgess pleaded not guilty and elected to trial by jury. Phillips has yet to make a plea.
According to a police report, the two, who are both unemployed, allegedly started the fire around 11:20 p.m. on June 16 and destroyed the building. Their actions, which included allegedly pushing a wheelie bin against the wall of the building and using turpentine to start a fire, were captured on CCTV footage.
The building, in Tauranga’s Historic Village on the outskirts of the city, is also home to transgender support service Gender Dynamix. It acted as a drop-in center and support service for the LGBTQI and gender diverse community.
It is one of 50 buildings on the site – the rest were unharmed.
after the fire, the community gathered to raise $75,000 for a new home for the services.
Police say they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident, but the investigation is still ongoing.
They thanked the public who helped with the investigation.