As roimata from the sky washed over them, up to 800 people took to the streets of suburban Napier on Sunday in an emotional show of solidarity and remembrance of 15-year-old Kaea Karauria, who died from a stabbing three months ago.
Kaea, a popular and promising young rugby player, was stabbed at a party in the suburb of Onekawa and died in the early hours of Mother’s Day.
Two people – a woman and a teenaged girl – have been charged with threatening a witness and attempting to pervert the course of justice, but no arrest has yet been made of the person who stabbed Kaea.
His parents, Kym Baker and Ren Karauria, led the hikoi from Pukemokimoki Marae through suburban streets, stopping outside the whare where Kaea died.
“It’s going to be hard, but we don’t want this shadow to take away the memories we have of that place where I grew up, where I first met Ren.” said Kym.
For both Kym and Ren, the anguish of the last three months has completely upended their lives.
“We’ve pulled our kids out of school, we’re homeschooling now,” said Kym. “Home is the safest place for them. It gives us one-on-one time, and it helps us heal together as a whānau.”
Ren says they are determined their son won’t be forgotten: “When Kaea passed, we decided he would be the face of a movement, something positive for the community and for rangatahi. We weren’t going to sit back and let him become another statistic. That’s why we started this hīkoi – to bring the violence and fear out into the light.”
The couple say the local community has been a lifeline, helping them trust again after the shock of their loss. “The support wrapped around us has been amazing,” said Ren. “Our trust is still a little broken – you can’t help but look at people sideways, wondering if they know something – but we’ve also seen there are a lot of good people out there. Without them, we couldn’t have made this hīkoi happen.”
Emotions have run high as the months have slipped by without an arrest. Despite this, Ren and Kym say they are satisfied with the police investigation.
“We’ve got 100 percent faith the police will do what needs to be done to get justice for Kaea,” said Ren. “But we’re still asking anyone who knows something – big or small – to go directly to police. The sooner we can get justice for our son, the sooner we can begin to heal.”
Police told Te Ao with Moana they’re making “good progress with the investigation” and continue to urge anyone with information to call the dedicated 0800 number to speak directly to investigators.
The Justice for Kaea committee would also like to acknowledge the sponsors who helped make the hīkoi possible:
- Te Kupenga Hauora
- Te Taiwhenua o Te Whanganui a Orotu
- Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga
- Awhina Whānau Services
- Napier Pilot City
- Planit Events
- Mana Ahuriri
By Hikurangi Jackson of Te Ao with Moana
