A 37-year-old man has been charged with the murder of the mother of four children, Laisa Waka Tunidau, and has been remanded in custody.
A Christchurch District Court judge yesterday ordered reports to assess the man’s mental health.
New Zealand Herald understands that he had received mental health care from the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB).
But the CDHB has repeatedly refused to answer questions from the herald the past three days.
Tunidau, a cleaner in her 50s, had caught the bus home from work and was yards from her home in Cheyenne St, in the suburb of Sockburn, when she was attacked around 4:20 p.m. on Saturday.
Tunidau’s 11-year-old son has been “traumatized” after he saw emergency services try to rescue a woman outside his childhood home, unaware that it was his mother.
The small and close-knit community gathers around the father and son. They have not yet returned home, but have been given a safe place to stay.
A Givealittle page launched yesterday to support the family has already raised more than $30,000.
But frustrations mount over unanswered questions about how the shocking attack could have happened.
“There is currently anger within the community as to whether the man had a mental illness and wonder why he was gone in the first place and took a mother and wife of life,” said Malakai Waqasokolala, president of the Canterbury Fijian Community.
“We are asking questions about why. The community and family definitely need an answer from those in charge of these things, to end them in some way. There is anger in the community.”
Waqasokolala is not aware of anyone from the CDHB speaking to anyone in the community.
“We hope that in the coming days we can at least get something so that we can find out what happened and put an end to the loss of Laisa,” he said.
Fijian community leader and parish member Una Tikoi previously said the deadly stabbing devastated family and friends.
“The community is not happy… the community is angry with our beloved friend and mother whose life has been recklessly taken,” Tikoi said.
People are asking why the man was allowed to be in the community when he was a “sick man,” Tikoi said.
Funeral plans are still being finalized, but it is likely Tunidau will be sent back to Fiji to say goodbye to loved ones.
She has four children, three of whom live in her home country.
Waqasokolala, who knew the family well and often stayed at their home in Sockburn, rushed to Cheyenne St on Saturday after the fatal attack.
He said the grieving husband Nemani Tunidau was distraught but tried to stay strong for his children.
“I have lost a woman, his beloved,” Waqasokolala said.
“Only time will heal and with God’s blessing and God’s permission he will come through. He is trying to be a very strong and supportive father figure to his son right now.”
Waqasokolala is grateful for the support of the wider Christchurch community, with stories of colleagues showing up with flowers and offering heartfelt condolences.
“That’s pretty cool isn’t it, and that’s what Christchurch is known for,” he said.
Just before the accused appeared in court, Tunidau’s adult daughter spoke in Fiji about her heartbreak at the loss of her beloved mother.
“I can’t begin to express how much I’ll miss you. There’s a huge hole in my heart and I don’t know how to handle it. I’ll always think of you, Mom.”
The man accused of stabbing Tunidau to death was given a provisional suppression of his name during a brief appearance from custody at Christchurch court yesterday.
He is due to appear before the Supreme Court in Christchurch on July 15 – and a judge has requested a report under section 38 of the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act 2003 to assess his suitability to stand trial.
The office of Health Secretary Andrew Little has also declined to comment.
The hearts of Christchurch residents go out to Tunidau’s family and friends who “were killed in such a senseless, violent attack,” said city mayor Lianne Dalziel.
“A crime of this nature will also have a devastating impact on the community, and they too will want answers about how and why this happened.”
Canterbury District Commander Superintendent John Price said the alleged murder was “a horrific, traumatic and indiscriminate attack on an innocent person simply on his way home from work”.
The traumatic, senseless act would have a huge impact on the community as a whole and across New Zealand, he said.
“Nobody deserves this,” Price said.