New Zealand / Crime

Social agencies face questions over Moko killing

05:54 am on 28 June 2016

Child Youth and Family (CYF) says it knew the two people who killed Moko Rangitoheriri but it is refusing to discuss its role in the case.

Tania Shailer and David William Haerewa in court yesterday. Photo: SCREENSHOT / TV3

Tania Shailer and David William Haerewa were yesterday given the highest sentence ever imposed in New Zealand for the manslaughter of a child - 17 years in prison.

They will have to serve a minimum non-parole period of nine years for subjecting the three-year-old boy to months of abuse, leaving him with a ruptured bowel and head injury that killed him.

But the case is not over.

Questions remain over the role of social agencies including CYF and Women's Refuge.

Women's Refuge did not respond to questions from RNZ and CYF said it would not talk about the case until the Coroner completed his inquiry into Moko's death.

An earlier statement said it became involved days before Moko was killed because his caregiver, Shailer had reported she was worried that he and his siblings would not be safe with their mother.

It did not check on the children but said it did not let Moko's family down.

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    • But Shailer's lawyer Ron Mansfield said the social agencies should have picked up the warning signs.

    "I don't think there was a clear cry for help to them - but there were certainly enough messages for them to prick up their ears and go an investigate.

    "But they're under-resourced as well and that's a reality.

    "As a country we need to stand back and we need to look at how we're dealing with poverty. There's extreme poverty out there and where there's poverty there's stress. And all of the reports on child abuse show us that where there's stress there's going to be higher rates of child abuse."

    Shailer and Haerewa were given long sentences but had had a murder charge downgraded to manslaughter, prompting calls for tougher rules governing plea bargaining and an overhaul of the homicide laws.

    Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson said the Crown decided to accept the manslaughter pleas because of the need to secure convictions for the horrendous killing.

    There was also a risk that either of the defendants could escape a conviction because of "evidential issues".

    Mr Finlayson called the case horrific and heartbreaking and said cost was never a factor in approving the manslaughter charge.

    Moko's mother, Nicola Dally-Paki, is now fighting to regain custody of her other children through the Family Court.

    CYF said it was not confident she would keep them safe.

    Meanwhile, Coroner Wallace Bain said the inquest into Moko's death would look at what steps were taken by those who are responsible for keeping children safe, and if those steps were adequate.

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