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NZ Herald
19-05-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Cambridge house fire victim Nevaeh Ngamoki-Porter honoured with haka from Rototuna Junior High
Before the Year 10 student's tangi, her schoolmates gathered to perform a resounding and emotional haka as her body was driven by. Video taken by Nevaeh's mother, from inside the hearse carrying her body, showed the column of teenagers standing to attention along the roadside. Nevaeh's coffin was draped in a korowai (cloak) of blue, green, purple, white and black feathers. 'This send-off was done in my daughter's honour as she was quite popular within her school and wider parts of the Waikato,' her mother said. 'Thanks, Rototuna Junior High, for the haka tautoko for our sweet girl.' Nevaeh's school said: 'She was a vibrant soul with a deep passion for Kapa Haka and Te Reo Māori. 'Her enthusiasm was infectious, and she was a valued and spirited member of our Kapa Haka rōpū, Tuna Whakapeke and Raratuna. We will fondly remember her dedication and the joy she found in celebrating her culture. 'She will be dearly missed. During this incredibly difficult time, our thoughts and aroha are with her whānau and friends. 'We know that this loss is deeply felt by our students and staff. To support our school community, our whare, Te Tuuranga o Koura, is open as a space for us to gather, to grieve, and to process this profound loss together. 'Members of our counselling team, along with senior staff, are available to provide support and a listening ear to anyone who needs it.' When the first firefighters from Cambridge arrived at the Brennan Place property, the fire was well alight and Nevaeh was unaccounted for. Three people were inside at the time of the blaze - Nevaeh, her older sister, and her sister's partner, the Waikato Times reported. Firefighters entered the house to look for Naveah. She was carried out of the burning building badly injured and taken to hospital by ambulance. Police confirmed she was found by a volunteer firefighter who was an off-duty police officer. 'The teen was pulled to safety and crews provided immediate medical assistance,' a spokesman said. Fire investigator Kevin Holmes told the Waikato Times the blaze started in a bedroom. He said the cause had been identified, but would not be announced until the police probe was completed. The fire was not being treated as suspicious. Neighbours told the Waikato Times the fire spread quickly, while one recalled hearing calls for help from inside a granny flat attached to the property.
NZ Herald
26-04-2025
- NZ Herald
Tenancy Tribunal powerless in family dispute over brother's ‘untidy' cabin on sister's property
The trio became increasingly concerned about the untidy and unhygienic state of the cabin and the old cars. However, their attempts to tell the man to keep the cabin clean and remove the vehicles fell on deaf ears. In early 2024, the trio cleaned the cabin and told him that if he didn't keep it in that condition and remove the vehicles, they'd give him 90 days' notice to leave. They say the cabin returned to an untidy state and the cars were never moved. Fed up, they applied to the Tenancy Tribunal for an order to terminate the man's tenancy. But in a recently released decision on the matter, the tribunal found it did not have jurisdiction to make a ruling on the application. While it can generally rule on all residential tenancies, there are specific exclusions. That included premises on bare land, with or without facilities, on which the tenant has the right, under the tenancy agreement, to put a mobile home, caravan or other means of shelter. 'The applicants agreed the respondent could occupy their land and gave him the right to bring a cabin on to the land in which he can live,' the tribunal stated. 'The respondent does not enter the applicants' dwellings but lives entirely in the cabin. The applicants confirmed they have not had any contact with the respondent for the last month.' The decision went on to say that even if the applicants owned the cabin and allowed the man to live there, the Tenancy Act still wouldn't apply because he is a family member. It said the law could only be applied if both parties had agreed to sign a tenancy agreement at the start of the arrangement. The tribunal suppressed the names and identifying details of all parties. Catherine Hutton is an Open Justice reporter, based in Wellington. She has worked as a journalist for 20 years, including at the Waikato Times and RNZ. Most recently she was working as a media adviser at the Ministry of Justice.
