TECT All Terrain Park users are rallying behind ranger Jarron McInnes sacked by the council on February 3, after he was allegedly assaulted at night by freedom campers at the park.

Jarron told a meeting of park users he was held down by two men while a third had a hand on his throat and was punching him.

Park users are fighting to reinstate TECT All Terrain Park ranger Jarron McInnes. Photo: Facebook.

He struck the man over the head with his torch. Two 'taps” which didn't stop the blows and a third firmer blow that split the man's scalp open and stopped the assault.

Stuff says the police report names a Frenchman on a working holiday, David Le Prunennec, as the man who became annoyed and confronted Jarron, grabbing him by the throat and pushing him to the ground.

Pictures on the police file show Le Prunennec with blood coming from two wounds on his head. Jarron was not treated by ambulance staff.

Police say neither party wanted to press charges and Le Prunennec left the country soon after.

Police were unable to determine who was the aggressor and both men were described in the file at various points as victims.

"The stories are mixed, however there was no way of substantiating either story," the investigating officer wrote.

Jarron was fired over the incident by the council for allegedly breaching a protocol preventing the TECT Park ranger from going outside at night.

Park users are hiring a lawyer to challenge the dismissal and have Jarron reinstated. Former advocate Allam Halse told the meeting the ranger's contract requires him to be on duty 24/7.

It was also revealed at the meeting that Western Bay of Plenty District Council staff placed the TECT Park on the freedom camper app available for download, listing all the freedom camping areas in the country.

This was done without consulting or notifying Jarron who says he was regularly dealing with up to 50 freedom campers at night. They used the basins at the park toilets opposite the ranger residence for washing, preparing food and socialising.

On January 12, a group of French freedom campers using the block at 10pm were becoming disorderly. He alleged he was attacked when his direction to stop drinking and quiet down was challenged.

"I was going to be here until the day I retire. I built this park with my own bare hands more or less, with the help of a lot of people, and I just think it's disgusting the way they've treated me," says Jarron on Stuff today.

The sacking has sparked a backlash from park users, who described the treatment as "disgraceful".

Someone wrote on Facebook: "What a bunch of gutless p***ks we have in our council... you should be ashamed. Jarron has put his own safety on the line time and time again only to be hung out to dry when he should have had the support of our council."

Another person put a sign on the window of the council's headquarters in Tauranga demanding the council "do the right thing" by reinstating Jarron and starting an independent inquiry.

Police were called from the ranger's house following the assault. The TECT Park is 30km from Tauranga. There is no cell phone coverage and Jarron has paid $17,000 of his own money on communications over the seven years he has been ranger.

Former Tauranga City Councillor Murray Guy was on the park's joint management committee and says Jarron routinely reported his night time activities to the committee without any comment from council management staff at those meetings.

His night time dealings with people shooting in the park after dark are printed in the TECT park newsletter.

'He's been let down by the governance of the park by the two councils, and ultimately by his employer the Western Bay of Plenty District Council,” says Murray.

'The council position is there is policy for employees not to investigate during the hours of darkness,” says Murray.

'Putting aside other campers up there and property at risk. The policy is, ‘Jarrod if you have a concern you ring the police' – 30km away in the middle of the night.

'Not only did he investigate during hours of darkness, he shouldn't have shone his torch, tipped the alcohol. They are using that – and the injury to the assailant.

'Having listened to reports from Jarron on many occasions, he made it quite public that he often carried out a monitoring role during the hours of darkness, because the park may well have been at risk.

'Motorists coming through, people doing wheelies. He would investigate gunshots. So there was a variety. If he thought the park or property or persons were at risk he would go out as part of his role.

'We knew that. So it seems to me if there was any fault in regards this incident, the governance and staff support was very remiss.”

The TECT All Terrain Park is jointly owned by Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council, with the district council Jarron's employer. The situation reflects on Tauranga City Council as well, says Murray.

As the park has developed over the seven years with Jarron as ranger he has become responsible for security of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of park users' assets.

'It's ridiculous, it's unreasonable to the extreme to expect Jarron, as ranger, not to have a monitoring role, given that he's living on site,” says Murray.

'It's unreasonable to expect him to ring police every time he sees headlights. So, it's the governance and senior management teams who have dropped the ball. It's been a significant incident with a staff member at risk with his young family.”

Murray's also gobsmacked the district council went public with the termination of Jarron's employment on February 2, hours before a meeting at which Jarron's employment was to be discussed with council management.

Those at the meeting say it lasted two hours and they were not told until 4pm that Jarron was going to be fired – hours after the council had already made the news public by emailing media.

There is a re-instate the ranger facebook page, telling people to phone councillors, flood the council with letters, and emails to get Jarron back on the job.

The council statement of dismissal says that as it is 'an employment matter the Western Bay of Plenty District Council will not be making any further comment”.