Matua Kahurangi: A nation of tiny graves

A brutal list of Kiwi children murdered since 2006

I've compiled a list of children killed in New Zealand from 2006 to the present. This is not a complete record, as many child homicide cases have name suppression. As you read through the names of the victims, and in some cases the offenders, you may begin to notice a pattern. The level of violence inflicted on children in this country is appalling.

Whether it’s shaking a baby to death for crying, killing a child for interrupting a PlayStation session, or blaming methamphetamine, it’s all here.

Chris and Cru Kahui (2006)

Newborn twins Chris and Cru Kahui died in Mangere from skull fractures caused by blunt force to the head. Their father, Chris Kahui, was charged with murder but was found not guilty at trial.

Cheyenne Petersen (2007)



One‑year‑old Cheyenne Petersen drowned in a shallow stream after her mother, Natasha Petersen, carried her into the bush near Whangārei Heads and left her there. Under the influence of methamphetamine, Natasha was later convicted of manslaughter.

Tyla-Maree Flynn (2007)



Tyla‑Maree Darryl Flynn, aged one, suffered fatal burns to her head and body from what was believed to be scalding water in Tokoroa. Her stepfather, Riki Hotham, faced murder charges but died in a car crash before the trial.

Nia Glassie (2007)



Three‑year‑old Nia Maria Glassie from Rotorua died from severe head injuries. In the days leading up to her death she had been kicked, beaten, slapped, jumped on, put in a dryer, spun on a clothesline until she fell, dropped, thrown against a wall and used in wrestling. Her mother, Lisa Kuka, was convicted of manslaughter. Her boyfriend Wiremu Curtis and his brother Michael Curtis were found guilty of murder.

Jyniah Te Awa (2007)



Ten‑month‑old Jyniah Mary Te Awa was tortured over time by her babysitter, Tiana Tapiki. Injuries included brain trauma, being kicked, shaken, thrown, swung by her hair, placed in a freezer, hung from a washing line and smothered. Tapiki pleaded guilty to murder.

Tahani Mahomet (2008)
Eleven‑week‑old Tahani Mahomet died in Auckland after her father, Azees Mahomet, violently twisted her leg and inflicted fatal head injuries. He was convicted of murder. The baby’s mother, Tabbasum Mahomet, received a conviction for failing to provide the necessities of life.

Dylan Rimoni (2008)



Three‑year‑old Dylan Rimoni had his head smashed against a hard surface by his adoptive mother, Patricia Pickering. She was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Duwayne Pajlegutu (2008)

Seven‑year‑old Duwayne Tietutaote Pajlegutu from Nelson was beaten to paralysis and suffocated by his stepfather, Johny Joachim, who admitted the killing and was sentenced to life in prison.

Riley Osborne (2008)



Sixteen‑month‑old Riley Justin Osborne from Kerikeri died at Starship Hospital over Christmas with “horrific” head injuries. The mother’s partner, Kyle Skerton, was found guilty of manslaughter.

Cherishsiliala Tahuri-Wright (2009)



Three‑year‑old Cherishsiliala Tahuri‑Wright was killed by her grandmother, Joanne Tahuri, in Marton, suffering fatal head trauma. Joanne was found guilty of manslaughter.

Jayrhis Lock-Tata (2009)

Five‑week‑old Jayrhis Lock‑Tata was shaken to death in Taupō by his father, Adam Lock, who also assaulted the mother. He pleaded guilty to murder.

Trent Matthews (2009)

One‑year‑old Trent James Matthews, placed in care by CYF, died in the living room of caregiver Sasha Pene after multiple head injuries. Sasha pled guilty to manslaughter.

Kash McKinnon (2009)



Three‑year‑old Kash Meshetti McKinnon from Palmerston North suffered head injuries and later died. Her mother’s former partner, Sean Donnelly, was acquitted of murder but convicted of manslaughter.

Jacqui Petersen-Davis (2009)

Two‑year‑old Jacqui Petersen‑Davis died in hospital from extensive injuries including fractured ribs and brain trauma. Her mother, Norefjell Davis, was convicted of manslaughter and wilful ill treatment.

Hail-Sage McClutchie (2009)



Twenty‑two‑month‑old Hail‑Sage McClutchie died of sudden head injuries in Waikato Hospital. Despite a homicide inquiry, no one has been charged.

Karl Perigo-Check (2009)



Two‑year‑old Karl Richard Arch Perigo‑Check was kicked to death in Whanganui by his mother’s partner, Rikki Ngati‑Check, who was convicted of murder.

Anna Sangha (2010)



Two‑year‑old Anna died when her mother, Ravneet Sangha, was stabbed to death and the child’s body was placed inside a washing machine and the cycle started by Deepak Nagpal, who has admitted both murders

Seini Ikamanu (2010)



Two‑year‑old Seini Unaloto Ikamanu died in Auckland in March 2010 after her father, Kefu Ikamanu, threw her against a wall, stomped on her pelvis and caused fatal head and pelvic injuries; he was convicted of manslaughter and causing grievous bodily harm, and sentenced to six years and nine months' jail

Cezar Taylor (2010)



James Hemana was found guilty of murdering Cezar Taylor at a where harrowing details of the baby's last few days were outlined. He was subjected to extreme violence in a South Auckland home where no-one alerted authorities or emergency services.

Sahara Baker-Koro (2010)



Kerry Ratana was sentenced to 16 and a half years jail for killing and sexually violating his five-year-old step-daughter Sahara Jayde Baker-Koro. Ratana, 25, killed Sahara on December 20, 2010. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denied a charge of sexual violation.

Serenity Jay Scott (2011)



Mathew Ellery, 23, was sentenced to life in prison - with a minimum non-parole period of 13 years - for the murder of 6-month-old Serenity Jay Scott.

Tahi Elvis Edwards (2011)

Ngaire Tukiwaho, 31, was sentenced in the High Court at Rotorua yesterday to two years and one month in jail for the manslaughter of her son Tahi Elvis Edwards.

Terepo "Popo" Taura-Griffiths (2011)

Mariam Filihia, 33, killed her neighbour's grandson Terepo "Popo" Taura-Griffiths in November 2011, a week after his first birthday.

Baby Akau’ola (2011)

Kulukora Akau'ola, 24, of Otahuhu, pleaded guilty to manslaughter shortly before she was due to go on trial for murder

James Lawrence (2011)

Joel Loffley, 29, was sentenced in the High Court at Auckland for the murder of two-year-old James Joseph Ruhe Lawrence, known as JJ.

Mikara Reti (2011)



Mikara Reti, who was five months old when Trent Hapuku took his life in January 2011. He killed Mikara Reti because the five-month-old was distracting him from playing PlayStation.

Bea Daleon (2012)



Bea Marguerita Daleon, 2, died from blunt force trauma to the head sustained in "non-accidental circumstances" while in Karen Nenite De Luna's care.

Hinekawa Topia (2012)

Thomas Tamatea Ariki Nui McGregor had the sole care of the triplets, two of them fast asleep, for less than an hour before he picked up baby Hinekawa. He swung or threw her against a wall, the floor, or some other hard object..

Atreyu Taylor-Matene (2012)



Jessica Taylor's son Atreyu Taylor-Matene died in Starship Hospital on 12 July 2013, four days after his first birthday. A coroner determined Atreyu's cause of death was traumatic brain injury caused by blunt trauma to the head. The killer still hasn’t been bought to justice.

Honour Ashworth (2012)

Shamrock Fayne Mitchell, 44, admitted to the manslaughter death of Honour.

Bradley and Ellen Livingstone (2014)



Bradley, 9, and Ellen, 6, were shot by their father, Edward Livingstone, in Dunedin on 15 January 2014.

Milton Paea (2014)

Myra Paea, who was 18 at the time, was at her Gisborne home alone with her 7½-week-old son Milton Manihera Waikaaho Raroa when she became angry at his crying. She shook him to death. Milton died in Gisborne Hospital on December 2, 2014.

Aaliyah Izabella Betty Solomon (2014)

Troy Louis Stuart Solomon, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years for murdering his 5-month-old daughter Aaliyah Izabella Betty Solomon in his home at Pukekohe on August 7, 2014.

Soul Turany (2014)



Storme Turany and Tony Farmer were the only people present at a home on a dairy farm on Coaltrack Rd, near Burnham, in Canterbury, when Turany's infant son Soul suffered a serious head injury in August, 2014.

Isaiah Neil (2014)

The father of an eight-month-old boy who died in a hot car while he and the boy's mother and grandmother got high on synthetic cannabis was sentenced to 10 months of home detention.

It was a hot November day in 2015 when mum Lacey-Marie Te Whetu and grandma Donna Catherine Parangi left Isaiah in a parked car while they got high on synthetic cannabis inside their home in Ruatoki, in the eastern Bay of Plenty. Isaiah died from heatstroke.

Ihaka Stokes (2015)



Mikala Stokes told the High Court in Christchurch she was left "broken" by Ihaka's death, just before her former partner, Troy Taylor, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years for murdering the toddler.

Taylor was also sentenced to two years' jail for assaulting Ihaka the day before he died.

Leith Hutchison (2015)

Dane Blake, 32, admits he was ill-equipped to be a father and had a "serious brain explosion" when 15-month-old Leith Allen Hutchison would not stop crying one night at his Greymouth home.

"No length of sentence will be enough, because I took the life of a child – my own flesh and blood," he says.

Maija Puhi-Duff (2016)

Donovan Michael Duff, 42, was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum parole period of 17 years, at the High Court in Rotorua on one charge of murder relating to the death of his nine-month-old daughter Maija​ Puhi-Duff in Turangi in 2016.

Esme Kinraid (2016)

A Pukekohe man who caused "catastrophic" blunt force injuries to his five-month-old daughter must serve at least 17 years behind bars. Troy Solomon, 25, told police he had "just got f------ high" when he claimed he found his baby girl drowning in two inches of water at his south Auckland home.

Richard Uddin (2016)



Baby Richard Royal Uddin's killer has been found guilty of murder at the High Court at Tauranga. The jury took four hours to return their verdict for the brutal beating that left Baby Royal with a skull "cracked like an eggshell". A pathologist likened his injuries to a fall from a five-storey building. The killer has been granted name suppression, and all details that could lead to his identification have also been suppressed.

Ashton Creswell (2017)



A Pahīatua toddler suffered in pain for hours while his carers callously did nothing to seek help for him before he finally succumbed to his injuries, a court has heard.

Alesha Lee Cresswell, 31, and Peter James Otuszewski, 27, were jailed for their neglect of the boy, who was Cresswell's son, by Justice Christine Grice in the High Court at Palmerston North on Friday.

Arnica Savage (2017)



"You got it f...ing wrong," Tewi Savage shouted as the jury of eight women and four men unanimously found him guilty of the murder of Arnica Savage, whose body was found in a Bay of Plenty river in 2018.

Comfort Witeri-Thompson (2018)

Staff at the hospital where murdered toddler Comfort Jay Witeri-Thompson spent the first four months of her life were so worried by what they saw they filed a report to Oranga Tamariki. Baby died of blunt force trauma at the age of 1 at the hands of her own mother.

Carter Hutton (2017)

Hayden Anthony Gray, 32, was jailed for 10 years and six months after being found guilty on two charges of intentionally causing grievous bodily harm to the 4-week-old in July 2017.

Ariah Roberts (2018)



Aaron James Archer appeared at the High Court at Auckland where he was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison for the manslaughter of Ariah Dawn Roberts, who died from severe head injuries.

Lincoln Wakefield (2018)

The killer of a 5-month-old baby has escaped serving at least 17 years of a life jail term for his crime. William Martin Wakefield was still sentenced to life imprisonment but will instead be considered for parole after 14 years and nine months. Wakefield, 32, was found guilty at the High Court in Wellington of murdering his step-son Lincoln at Upper Hutt in June, 2018.

Maree Takuira-Mita Ngahere (2019)




A man has admitted causing the death of his 4-week-old daughter. Northlander Jahcey Ngahere pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Maree Takuira-Mita Ngahere on Thursday, when he appeared at the High Court in Whangārei through audio-visual link.

Naveah Ager (2019)



A Bay of Plenty father who blamed methamphetamine-induced psychosis for the brutal killing of his 2-year-old daughter has failed to convince the Court of Appeal that his 17-year minimum term of imprisonment is “manifestly unjust” due to mental health problems caused by his addiction. Maketū resident Aaron George Izett, 42, claimed at trial that he was not guilty by reason of insanity for the death of toddler Nevaeh Ager, who was found face-down and underwater in an estuary with two large rocks on top of her in nearby Little Waihī in March 2019.

Maketū resident Aaron George Izett, 42, claimed at trial that he was not guilty by reason of insanity for the death of toddler Nevaeh Ager, who was found face-down and underwater in an estuary with two large rocks on top of her in nearby Little Waihī in March 2019.

Malcolm Bell (2019)



Malcom was living with his mother Savanna Bell and her partner Phillip Welsh at the time. Savanna Bell is the sister of William Dwane Bell, who murdered three people during a drug-fuelled robbery at the Mt Wellington Panmure RSA in 2001. Welsh was charged with murdering the little boy but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter the day before he was scheduled to go on trial in the High Court at Auckland. The court heard Welsh threw Malcolm with significant force towards a couch while more than a metre away.

CJ Bodhi Brian White-Sinclair (2019)



David Grant Sinclair, 31, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years in March for killing 10-month-old CJ White. CJ died on July 9, 2019 after suffering 30 bruises on his body, complex fractures to his skull and bleeding on the brain and behind both eyes.

Malachi Subecz (2021)



A woman was charged with murdering a five-year-old and disfiguring him before his death. The woman's sister was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice in the investigation into Malachi was found with injuries at a Te Puna property on 1 November 2021 and treated in Tauranga Hospital. He was subsequently airlifted to Starship Hospital in Auckland, where he died on 12 November.

Baby Ru (2023)



Baby Ru’s violent death is being actively investigated more than 18 months on from the killing. The killer or killers, still have not been bought to justice.

Catalya Remana Tangimetua Pepene (2025)



Catalya Remana Tangimetua Pepene, 3, was allegedly murdered by a 45-year-old man in Kaikohe, Northland. The man has been charged with murder and was remanded in custody. Police continue inquiries, with Victim Support helping the grieving whānau and community.

As I researched this piece, it became clear that Māori children are the most frequent victims in these homicide cases. In many instances, the offenders are also Māori. The facts speak for themselves, and it deeply saddens me that so many children are being murdered in this country. This is not an easy truth to confront, but ignoring it does nothing to help the situation. We need to be honest about the scale and nature of the problem if there is ever going to be meaningful change.

These children are not just names on a list. They had lives, families, and futures that were taken from them in brutal and senseless ways. Too often, their deaths are brushed aside, hidden behind suppression orders, or lost in the cycle of social dysfunction, drug abuse, and intergenerational trauma. The silence surrounding this crisis has allowed it to continue unchecked. It’s time for open and uncomfortable conversations about why this keeps happening, and what can be done to stop it.

Blaming poverty or colonisation is a copout. There is no excuse the kind of violence that leaves children dead. Personal responsibility, community accountability, and stronger interventions are all needed. We cannot allow another generation to grow up in the same environment where this level of harm is normalised. Change must come, and it must come from within as well as from outside

Matua Kahurangi is just a bloke sharing thoughts on New Zealand and the world beyond. No fluff, just honest takes. He blogs on https://matuakahurangi.com/ where this article was sourced.