Javon Aranui homicide: Ahere Gillies named as one of two accused of murder of Hastings man

Police at the scene of an assault on Jellicoe St, Hastings, which led to the death of Javon Aranui (inset) in December. Photo / NZME

One of two men charged with the murder of Javon Aranui in December can now be named.

Ahere Gillies, 20, appeared in the High Court at Napier on Friday, as did a co-defendant whose interim name suppression continues.

Both have been charged with the murder of Javon Jesse Aranui, 24, who died after being found with serious head injuries in the Hastings suburb of Mayfair in the early hours of December 20.

Aranui, described by his family as a “happy-go-lucky person”, died in hospital the following day.

The two accused appeared via video link before Justice Dale La Hood, who remanded them in custody to appear again on May 17.

No pleas have been entered.

Javon Aranui was the son of Annabell Tumanako, who went missing from Napier in 2007 in what has become one of Hawke’s Bay’s most high-profile cold cases.

Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay. His writing in the crime and justice sphere is informed by four years of front-line experience as a probation officer.