Blenheim baby found dead: Community gathers as rāhui lifted on site
Community members have gathered to lift a rāhui that was placed after the discovery of a dead baby on a Blenheim roadside.
An infant was found by a mowing contractor on Wairau Bar Rd, between Ferry Rd and Dicks Rd, about 1.30pm on Tuesday, spurring police inquiries to identify the baby’s mother.
Local iwi Rangitāne o Wairau placed a rāhui on the area yesterday, with more than two dozen people gathering at the Ferry Bridge Picnic Area today to lift it and place a blessing.
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rarua pouwhakahaere/chief executive Shane Graham said: “We’re here to lift that rāhui and those restrictions just for the sake of those working in this space, the police, and of course, acknowledging the people involved in the event, who were indirectly impacted, and so we’re here to support them as well.”
He said the gathering was also about shouldering the burden together as a community and standing behind those who had been affected.
“We all come together and share the load and the burden in terms of this,” he said.
“We don’t even know the baby or the father or whoever’s been involved, but it doesn’t mean that we don’t have our responsibilities to provide that manaakitanga and that support to them, because it’s in our patch.”
Graham wanted those involved to know support from iwi is available.
“They’re not alone, that there are people there who care, from a community point of view, from a government agency point of view, we’re all one community, so that’s what we’re here for.”
He said anyone wishing to reach out can go to police or contact one of the iwi officers, whose details are available online.
Wairau Bar Rd has been reopened to the public while the investigation continues.
Members of the public with information are urged to contact police via the 105 line, or online at 105.police.govt.nz, quoting reference number P066438427.