British family told to leave New Zealand after 'stealing, littering and threatening people'

A group of British tourists have been asked to leave New Zealand after being reported for littering, threatening locals, causing chaos and stealing.

Tina Maria Cash admitted her guilt at the Hamilton District Court after being accused of shoplifting energy drinks, rope and sunglasses from a service station just outside Auckland.

She has been ordered to pay reparations and has been served with a Deportation Liability Notice, as have four other members of her family, all of whom possess British passports.

Police told the court Cash arrived in the country on November 29 on a travel visa.

Outside the court Cash and two female supporters hid their faces from cameras, but when asked by a 1 NEWS reporter why the defendant stole, one of the women said "because she felt like it."

Police earlier told TVNZ the woman is "believed to be" part of the tourist group that has been accused of ripping off multiple restaurants and becoming aggressive when confronted about littering at Auckland's Takapuna Beach.

One of the family members, John Johnson, told the NZ Herald that the family is from Liverpool, not Ireland, and that his grandfather is the "10th richest man in England".

Addressing the beach littering incident that kicked off the saga, Mr Johnson said the whole incident was blown out of proportion and began when his nephew, 8, was slapped by another boy at the beach.

The family have 14 days to appeal to immigration to stay in the country, but one member of the group told reporters they will head home to the UK a week early because they feel "unwelcome".

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