logo
Rapana Tukuru Tahana-Heretini named as Tokoroa homicide victim

Rapana Tukuru Tahana-Heretini named as Tokoroa homicide victim

RNZ News04-06-2025

A man has been charged with his murder.
Photo:
RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Police have named 30-year-old Rapana 'Raaps' Tukuru Tahana-Heretini, of Tokoroa, as the man who was fatally injured last week.
Police were called to an Abercorn Place address about 4:15am on 27 May, after reports a man had been injured by a male known to him outside his house.
The victim was taken to Waikato Hospital in critical condition, but has since died.
Detective Senior Sergeant Ryan Yardley said a homicide investigation had been launched, and a man has been
charged with murder
.
The man will appear in the High Court at Rotorua later this month.
Police are still seeking any information from witnesses, including CCTV footage from Abercorn Place at around 4:15am on Tuesday, 27 May.
"If you can help, please get in touch with us via our 105 service, quoting reference number 250527/7868," police said.
"You can also provide information anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Teenagers who gain work experience at school more likely to be employed by age 20
Teenagers who gain work experience at school more likely to be employed by age 20

RNZ News

time2 hours ago

  • RNZ News

Teenagers who gain work experience at school more likely to be employed by age 20

Gateway supported short-term, work-based placements while Trades Academies provided learning in trades-related. (File photo) Photo: Supplied/ UCOL Teenagers who gain trade and workplace experience at school are more likely to get a qualification and complete apprenticeships, a report finds. A Ministry of Education report said students who participated in the Gateway and Trades Academy programmes were also more likely to be in substantial employment by the age of 20 than other students with similar characteristics. The report considered the cohorts that participated in the programmes in 2014 and in 2018 and compared their education and employment outcomes with similar students who did not participate. It said Gateway was set up in 2001 and supported short-term, work-based placements while Trades Academies had provided learning in trades-related fields since 2010. "Both programmes increased the likelihood of students staying in education at age 17 and achieving a Level 2 or higher qualification by age 18. "These effects were consistent across genders and ethnic groups," the report said. "Men in both programmes were more likely to enrol in and complete apprenticeships, though rates remained lower for Māori and Pacific men. Women's apprenticeship participation remained low. "Both programmes reduced the likelihood of being in limited employment and increased students being in substantial employment, particularly for men. "Gateway had a stronger effect than Trades Academies in reducing limited employment for women, especially Māori and Pacific women." The report said 87-90 percent of Gateway and Trades Academy students had a level two qualification by the age of 18, compared with 78-79 percent for similar students who had done neither programme. It said 10-12 percent had completed an apprenticeship by age 24, compared with six percent for similar students. About a quarter of the group of similar students were in limited employment when they were 18, compared to 16-19 percent for the cohorts that had participated in the programmes. By age 20, 46-53 percent of the Trades Academy and Gateway cohorts were in substantial employment, compared with 35-38 percent for the group that had done neither programme. The report said the programmes appeared to have "a protective role for educational participation and achievement during the pandemic". Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Ratepayers foot bill for rubbish dumped along South Wairarapa coast
Ratepayers foot bill for rubbish dumped along South Wairarapa coast

RNZ News

time9 hours ago

  • RNZ News

Ratepayers foot bill for rubbish dumped along South Wairarapa coast

The local council described the dumping as "enormously irresponsible and disappointing". Photo: Emily Ireland Ratepayers will foot the $145,000 bill to to remove 26 tonnes of illegally dumped rubbish along on the South Wairarapa Coast. Environmental Protection Authority, police and specialist contractors needed more than two weeks to clean up waste dumped along the coast, which included 3.7 tonnes of scrap metal - bikes, whiteware and even a car. The clean-up was an urgent recommendation from the Environmental Protection Authority. "The overall cost came in at approximately $145,000, which is about $50,000 less than originally forecast," said South Wairarapa District Council chief executive Janice Smith. Rubbish is removed from the South Wairarapa coastline. Photo: Supplied/SWDC Smith said people dumping this amount of rubbish was "enormously irresponsible and disappointing", as items like bikes and whiteware can be disposed of at transfer stations for no cost. The council said illegal dumping was a serious issue, as it could pose a serious health issue, when it contained harmful materials, such as glass, metal and hazardous matter. It said the clean-up process also ended up being expensive for both the council and ratepayers, and on the environment, with abandoned waste damaging ecosytems, polluting airways and harming wildlife. The site is now permanently blocked off, with security cameras in place to monitor it. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

'We just want her home': Missing 17-year-old last seen at mall in Auckland's New Lynn
'We just want her home': Missing 17-year-old last seen at mall in Auckland's New Lynn

RNZ News

time10 hours ago

  • RNZ News

'We just want her home': Missing 17-year-old last seen at mall in Auckland's New Lynn

Police are looking for missing 17-year-old Whetu Bennett, who was last seen at LynnMall in Auckland on Wednesday. Photo: Supplied / Police Police are seeking the public's help to find a 17-year-old girl who was last seen at an Auckland mall. Police said Whetu Bennett hadn't been seen since about 12pm on Wednesday when she was at LynnMall, in the suburb of New Lynn. However, Whetu's sister Janet Jones said her sister was last seen with her partner at Lynnmall on Tuesday around midday. Whetu was wearing a beige top, a black dress and sunglasses on the day she went missing, she said. Jones said Whetu's partner contacted their mother in the early hours of Thursday to tell her that he hadn't seen her since that day. She reported her sister going missing to the police on Thursday as soon as she found out from her mother. Jones said she understood Whetu and her partner had an argument at the mall and her partner had bused home from the mall by himself. She said Whetu moved to Auckland from Hamilton about two or three weeks ago to be with her partner and look for work. She hadn't spoken to Whetu since the move, as Whetu doesn't have a mobile phone, she said. Jones said if Whetu needed to message anyone, it would need to be done through her partner's phone. Jones said it's unusual for Whetu to be missing for so long. "No word from her over this amount of days is wild... at least one of our siblings, we come from a family of ten, one of us would've heard something from her at least. "All her siblings are waiting to hear from her, and we just want her to come home, just to message us and one of us will come and get her wherever she is," she added. A police spokesperson said on Saturday night, Whetu was still missing and police would assess information as it came in. The spokesperson said a family member reported Whetu missing and that the teenager had recently moved to Auckland from Waikato. Police re-posted the appeal three hours ago and asked anybody who knows the whereabouts of Whetu to contact police on 105 and quote the police reference number 250626/5181. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store