A man who allegedly killed a stranger in Christchurch was an inpatient at a mental health facility. The victim’s grieving husband wants to know why he was in the community. Sam Sherwood and Blair Ensor report.
Nemani Tunidau dropped off his wife, Laisa Waka, at a retirement home in Ilam, Christchurch, on Saturday morning, where she worked as a cleaner for about a year.
Tunidau went to Waimate for the day to deliver clothes to hardy members of the Fijian community who had recently moved there.
“I will see you after work,” he told his wife.
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These were the last words the couple exchanged.
After finishing work at the Arvida Ilam retirement village at 3pm, Waka took a bus home to Sockburn.
As she walked from the bus stop, she was attacked by a stranger who swung a knife just meters from her home in Cheyenne St, where her 11-year-old son was excitedly waiting for her return.
SUPPLY
Laisa Waka was stabbed to death just meters from her front door after returning from work at a Christchurch rest home.
The boy did not see the stab wound, but watched from the property as paramedics cared for a person on the footpath, unaware that it was his mother who was trying to save them. Their efforts were in vain, and she died at the scene.
The man who allegedly stabbed Waka was arrested a short while later, about 500m further, on Epsom Rd, after a brief search involving police dogs.
He was with his brother, who showed up after the attack and had no role in the crime.
A 37-year-old man, who has name-calling, has been charged with Waka’s murder. At a court hearing on Monday, he is in custody until his next appearance on July 15.
Judge Mark Callaghan requested a report under section 38 of the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Handicapped Persons) Act 2003 to determine the man’s suitability for trial.
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Flowers placed near the site where Waka was stabbed to death in a random attack.
The accused man was an inpatient at Hillmorton Hospital, a mental health facility in Middleton, less than 6 miles away.
Around 2pm on Saturday, he caught a bus to Sockburn, where his brother lives. It is unclear whether he fled the hospital or was granted leave.
Tunidau and his family are frustrated by the lack of information from health officials, who declined to comment on the case while subject to a police investigation.
“Why was he out?” he said.
Waka moved from Fiji to New Zealand in 2018 for a better life and was a highly respected member of Christchurch’s Moraia Fijian Parish, where she sang in the choir and was known for her baking.
She and Tunidau were married in 1998.
The couple have four children together, three of whom still live in Fiji.
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Waka was allegedly killed meters away from her home in Sockburn by a stranger.
Tunidau, a carpenter, moved to New Zealand for work about two years before his wife, and the couple applied for accommodation.
When Tunidau returned from Waimate on Saturday, he received a call from a police officer who wanted to meet him at the home of the parish pastor.
It was there that he learned his wife was dead.
“I was lost for words – I could not believe it. She was the love of my life. ”
Waka was friendly, soft-spoken and a loving mother, he said.
Their children, like him, are struck with grief and miss her desperately.
“Their whole world has been turned upside down.”
Chris Skelton / Stuff
Shaun Robinson, CEO of the Mental Health Foundation, says mental health services are under “tremendous pressure”.
The couple’s 11-year-old son was traumatized by what he saw on Saturday, and barely slept or ate.
“He keeps saying, ‘Why mom?’
Tunidau said his wife’s body would be flown to Fiji on Thursday.
Until then, he and his son are supported by members of the congregation.
Back in Fiji, Waka’s children are preparing for her funeral on Saturday.
Her adult daughter posted an emotional tribute to her online on Monday.
The two had not seen each other for four years, about when Waka moved to New Zealand, and last spoke on Mother’s Day.
The woman said her mother had been her “role model” since day one, always encouraging her to work hard and to be independent and respectful.
Sam Sherwood / Stuff
Police have now launched their scene investigation in Cheyenne St.
“I can not begin to express how much I will miss you. There’s a big hole in my heart and I do not know how to fix it. Your legacy is one that will inspire us all, and we will remember your warmth and love forever. ”
Waka also has an adult son who works as a police officer in Fiji, and another daughter.
Jeremy Nicoll, CEO of Arvida Group, said the staff at the retirement village where Waka worked was “crushed” and called her a “beautiful soul” who was well-liked by residents and her colleagues.
Canterbury District Commander Superintendent John Price on Sunday described the “senseless” attack on Waka as “horrific, traumatic and accidental”.
Shaun Robinson, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said mental health services in New Zealand were under “tremendous pressure”.
Peter Meecham / Stuff
Police are blocking the road on Saturday near the scene of a fatal stabbing incident in Sockburn.
Waka’s death was a “huge tragedy” for her family and friends as well as the accused, and the staff who cared for him, Robinson said.
“One of the parts of the tragedy here is that the overall failure to prevent it contributes to the ongoing stigma surrounding mental distress, and it can lead to very bad approaches to how to provide mental health services.”
Research has shown that people who experience mental distress were less violent than the average person, and in fact were more likely to be the victims of violence, Robinson said.
“Most people who experience mental distress can have significant recovery and lead rewarding and fulfilling lives if they have the right levels of support.”
On Cheyenne St, residents are struggling to cope with the violence that unfolded in the normally quiet suburban neighborhood.
Several bunches of flowers were placed on the grass near where Waka was stung.
One neighbor, who asked not to be named, said his partner had not slept well since the incident and talked about how easy it could have been her who was killed.
“A lot of people still love it,” the man said.
A giveaway page has been created for the family. “We are looking for your kind financial support to help Mr Tunidau support his young family as he adjusts to the changes that this tragic loss will bring to his family.”