A coroner report says that authorities did not take the necessary measures to prevent the tragic murder of a Tongan mother in Auckland.
Toakase Finau, 29, was murdered by his estranged husband, Viliami Latu, in 2021 before he took his own life.
As Kaniva News reported at the time, Latu also breached bail several weeks before the killing at his brother’s house.
Despite the breach, where he travelled to his ex-partner’s home, he was allowed to remain in the community subject to electronic monitoring.
While at his court-approved bail address, detectives believe he killed Finau before taking his own life.
Finau was the mother of their four children.
Reports at the time of their death quoted neighbours and others who shared a house with the couple at their former rental property in Ōtara, describing an abusive relationship where Finau was often seen with injuries, including black eyes, Stuff reported.
Others described Latu wandering the streets of Ōtara with a machete after staying up for days at a time.
The coroner’s remarks highlight potential shortcomings in the system, suggesting that more could have been done to protect this vulnerable individual from harm.
“Police, the justice system, the Department of Corrections, Oranga Tamariki, housing and health providers all interacted with this whānau and had concerns about family harm yet failed to prevent these tragic deaths,” Coroner Alison Mills said.
“Aotearoa New Zealand has an unacceptably high level of intimate partner violence. We have among the highest reported rates of family and sexual violence in the developed world.
“There is no easy fix to this problem.
“Toakase’s and Viliami’s deaths are an example of why a whole of government approach to family violence is needed. Their deaths are also an example of the consequences of the ‘gaps’ in services.”
