Latest news with #Anahera
1News
a day ago
- 1News
Baby found dead at recycling centre four years ago laid to rest
A newborn girl whose body was found at a recycling plant in 2021 has been farewelled today. The baby, named baby Anahera by the community, was found at an Onehunga recycling facility exactly four years ago, on the evening of August 16, 2021. In the years since, an "extensive investigation" has been ongoing to identify the mother, father or wider family — to no avail. Police appealed to the public for information, released images of clothing found and combed through hours of CCTV footage and DNA databases, but her identity has never been uncovered. An inquiry into Anahera's death was carried out, with findings released last month by Coroner Alison Mills, in which a full forensic post-mortem was completed. ADVERTISEMENT Members of the community chose to name the baby Anahera, meaning angel, and provided teddy bears and a traditional Kahua Huruhuru for the baby. (Source: 1News) Today, on the fourth anniversary of the discovery of her body, baby Anahera was laid to rest with a community service and official burial. Dayna Townsend, the vicar's warden at St Peter's Anglican Church who organised the funeral, told 1News that as a mother she had been moved by what had happened in 2021. "I felt, I guess, two things. One, that this baby's mum must have been really, really desperate and I didn't have a sense of judgement for her at all. I just thought 'man, this must have been pretty hard' and things must have been pretty bad for it to turn out like this. "Also it was this sense that this baby had been unwanted, and I just thought actually no baby is unwanted in our community." St Peter's Church in Auckland's Onehunga pictured in 2021. (Source: 1News) She said the community had rallied around the child, and alongside the vicar and city councillor Josephine Bartley the church had put its hand up to ensure the baby was given a proper burial. ADVERTISEMENT "We as a community here, we care for this child's mother and we care for this baby. And she is wanted by us," she said. "As a community at St Peter's and as a community in Onehunga, we want to love and care for this baby's remains. Because we couldn't provide for her what she needed in life, but we can bury her as part of a family and a community that loves her," she said. She said groups within the community had offered resources free of charge, including Tipene Funerals, a headstone maker and a traditional Māori korowai, or cloak, worn at funerals to honour the deceased and their family. "We know that she has a biological family out there, and a mum somewhere and a dad and we have nothing but compassion for whatever has happened to her biological family," she said. A police car pictured at the recycling centre in Onehunga in 2021 following the discovery of the baby. (Source: 1News) "We don't want to disrespect her cultural background because we don't know what that is and we don't know what her culture is and we don't know the culture of her family. We simply want to provide her with the love and support she deserves." Police reiterate pleas for information ADVERTISEMENT In a police statement released last month following the coroner's report, Detective Inspector Scott Beard said it was "not too late for the baby's mother or someone within her immediate circle of family or friends to come forward". "We urge them and anyone else who might know what happened to do the right thing and talk to somebody, whether it's police or someone who can notify us on their behalf." Anyone with information was urged to contact 105, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Funeral to be held for Anahera, baby discovered in recycling
Detective Inspector Scott Beard (file photo) Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi A police officer who's worked for years to track the family of a baby found dead at a South Auckland recycling plant says the Onehunga community will honour her at a funeral service on Saturday. The newborn's body was discovered four years ago to the day, at Onehunga's Visy Recycling plant, on 16 August 2021, after a worker [ spotted her on a conveyor belt. She was given the name of Anahera (Angel) by the community. Despite significant publicity and police investigations, neither the baby, nor her parents or any family members were identified. Detective Inspector Scott Beard told Saturday Morning police had carried out extensive inquiries, including looking at more than 300 DNA profiles. "Obviously we look at the DNA profile, and we look at familial DNA to try and identify family - who could be the mother or father - and to date we've had nearly 300 profiles and we haven't been able to identify the parent." Investigators found Anahera must have arrived at the plant on the day she was discovered . CCTV footage was then used to try to narrow down the area she had arrived from, but Beard said 104 recycling trucks arrived that day. He said he could not speculate on why the baby was abandoned. The funeral was organised by the community, and was to take place at 10am Saturday in Onehunga, followed by a burial in Māngere. "Whatever the circumstances, what we have here ... we have a little baby who had just been discarded in the recycling, and today is about honouring this little baby," Beard said. "The local Onehunga community, what they've done - the wrap-around support and the general service that we're doing today - I think just shows the care and the love that is within the community." From time to time tips were submitted to the police about the case, which were investigated, but they had not yet led to the family, he said. In July, a coroner's report said medical examiners had not been able to tell if baby Anahera was born alive or was a stillbirth, and the cause of her death could not be determined. Police told the coroner they intend for Anahera's case to remain open until a parent was identified and spoken to. Beard has also previously said he hopes that someone connected to the child will one day come forward. Anyone with information can contact police by phoning 105, and quoting file number 210816/2825, or they can report to Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111. Finding help: Coroner Alison Mills, who examined Anahera's case, urged any woman who needs support with an unplanned pregnancy in the future to reach out to organisations who provide services, including: A kahu huruhuru feather cloak was donated for Anahera's burial. Photo: Supplied/police Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
20-06-2025
- General
- Scoop
Aroha/Te Aroha And Ariki/Te Ariki Top Māori Baby Names Of 2024/2025
The Department of Internal Affairs, Te Tari Taiwhenua, has released the most popular Māori baby names for 2024/2025. For the third consecutive year, Aroha/Te Aroha/Te-Aroha/TeAroha (173) topped the list for kōtiro (girls), while Ariki/Te Ariki/Āriki/te Ariki (137) remained the most popular name for tāne (boys). Rounding out the top five names for kōtiro were: Maia/Māia/Te Māia, Moana/Te Moana, Anahera/Te Anahera and Atarangi/Te Atarangi/Te Ataarangi/Te-Atarangi. For tāne, the top five includes Wiremu, Koa, Mikaere and Rangi/Te Rangi/te Rangi/te rangi/Te-Rangi. 'Each name tells a story. It's a reflection of whakapapa, identity, and the hopes whānau hold for their tamariki,' says Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages Russell Burnard. Burnard also highlighted the care taken in compiling the list. 'We approach the creation of the Māori baby names list with deep respect and cultural responsibility. Each name is carefully reviewed to ensure it aligns with te reo Māori conventions—right down to the structure of vowels and consonants, and the presence of macrons. 'Our process includes consultation with kaumātua and final review by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. Through this collaboration we aim to honour the mana of Māori names.' The first and middle names featured in this list were registered with Department of internal Affairs, Te Tari Taiwhenua between 1 July 2024 and 18 June 2025. These dates align with the Tangaroa lunar calendar period associated with Matariki, as advised by the Matariki Advisory Committee. Department of internal Affairs, Te Tari Taiwhenua has published a list of the top Māori baby names since 2013. 2022/2023 was the first year that this list was released to coincide with Matariki, the Māori New Year. To view the top full list of Māori baby names from 2024/2025, 2023/2024, and 2022/2023, visit the SmartStart website:
