Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Napier boy's drowning: Seven-year-old was playing games with twin in crashing waves

By Christian Fuller
Hawkes Bay Today·
5 May, 2021 11:11 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Two young police constables, both trained lifesavers, tried to reach Marama Te Pou when he was swept off Marine Parade. Photo / NZME

Two young police constables, both trained lifesavers, tried to reach Marama Te Pou when he was swept off Marine Parade. Photo / NZME

A 7-year-old boy who drowned off the coast of Te Awa, Napier, was playing a game against crashing waves with his twin brother before he was washed away.

Te Ao Marama Te Pou, known as Marama, was playing in the shallows with brother Whetu and a friend when waves swept him away on February 21, 2020.

When police constables Ryan Gordon and Larissa Cowlrick, who were trained surf lifesavers, arrived at the beach, Marama was face down about 200m from shore.

They stripped off their police uniforms and tried to swim to the boy before a rescue helicopter plucked all three from the water.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In his findings released Thursday, coroner Peter Ryan said the boys had been playing in the water without any adult supervision, with "significant amount of surf and a strong undertow" in the water.

While beachgoers called emergency services, Gordon and Cowlrick swam beyond the breakers, but by the time they reached Marama he was not breathing.

The coroner said the officers' actions were "heroic", as they had no buoyancy or rescue equipment with them.

"Nor did they have the backup that surf lifesavers normally have when they attempt a rescue at a patrolled beach," Ryan said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"They placed their own lives at risk in an effort to save another. The actions of these two police officers deserve the highest commendation."

Because of the roughness of the seas, the two police officers attempted to resuscitate Marama in the water until a rescue helicopter arrived half an hour later.

A paramedic assessed Marama and confirmed that he was dead.

Gordon described the swell as "about 10 foot in height and dumping with an offshore wind".

No autopsy was performed on Marama because his family objected and his death was recorded as "presumed drowning", based on the evidence.

Ryan concluded Marama died as a result of being swept out to sea in rough surf and being unable to swim.

According to the report, Marama, also known as Boombie, and Whetu would often go to friends' houses after school.

The twins' mother, Liana Te Pou, told police she thought her sons were at a friend's house on the day in question. The father told police the twins had not been at his house that afternoon.

A man who had been at the beach two days earlier told police he'd seen three young boys playing in the waves without an adult nearby.

Ryan said Marama's death was preventable and would likely not have occurred if there had been adult supervision.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"This is such an obvious and well-recognised factor in the circumstances of this death that making further comments or recommendations would serve no useful purpose," he said.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Police arrest man in Hawke’s Bay as patrols target gang conflict

Premium
Hawkes Bay Today

'Let's make it a magpie': Sixty years of NZ's biggest rugby mascot

Premium
Hawkes Bay Today

NZ's most expensive retail bottle of wine? $695 and this HB blend is yours


Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Police arrest man in Hawke’s Bay as patrols target gang conflict
Hawkes Bay Today

Police arrest man in Hawke’s Bay as patrols target gang conflict

Police remain on patrol in Napier, Hastings, and Wairoa for safety.

06 Sep 01:32 AM
Premium
Premium
'Let's make it a magpie': Sixty years of NZ's biggest rugby mascot
Hawkes Bay Today

'Let's make it a magpie': Sixty years of NZ's biggest rugby mascot

05 Sep 06:00 PM
Premium
Premium
NZ's most expensive retail bottle of wine? $695 and this HB blend is yours
Hawkes Bay Today

NZ's most expensive retail bottle of wine? $695 and this HB blend is yours

05 Sep 06:00 PM


NZ’s convenience icon turns 35
Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

02 Sep 09:23 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP