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

The forgotten elderly: Fourth Napier man in six months found weeks after his death

By Astrid Austin
Hawkes Bay Today·
12 Mar, 2019 03:54 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

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

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The body of a Napier man has been found weeks after he died. Photo / File

The body of a Napier man has been found weeks after he died. Photo / File

Another case of an elderly Napier man whose death went unnoticed for several weeks has brought a worrying trend into the light.

In the past six months, four similar cases have occurred in Hawke's Bay.

On Monday afternoon, a 78-year-old was found in his home-bus on a commercial property in Napier.

Detective Mike Signal said the man had been dead for four to six weeks.

"This man, like the others, was a recluse by choice and it took some time before anyone worked out that he hadn't been seen around for a while," Signal said in a statement.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The man's death was not suspicious and had been referred to the coroner, Signal said.

The bodies of two men were found within weeks of each other in September and October 2018 in their houses on Napier Hill.

One of those men, Michael Christopher Flavell was found on September 10, after neighbours noticed they had not seen him for a while and contacted police who did a welfare check.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The 72-year-old was described as a "gentle giant" - a tall, large man who loved company, but died alone.

All his immediate family had died before him and he did not have a wife or children.

In January, a third man was found dead in his home in the Tangoio area, just north of Napier.

Signal said while it was important to respect people's wishes to be left alone, that didn't mean you couldn't keep an eye on their wellbeing.

"It's the same message we give whenever one of these events occur – please keep an eye on the elderly residents living alone in your neighbourhood, and if you haven't seen them for a while go and knock on their door."

"It's the same message we give whenever one of these events occur – please keep an eye on the elderly residents living alone in your neighbourhood, and if you haven't seen them for a while go and knock on their door."

Age Concern Hawke's Bay manager Deborah Biggs said previously it was always difficult to hear that someone has passed away and it has gone unnoticed for a time.

"We all need to keep a caring eye on our neighbours and if you don't see the curtains open in the morning, or mail uncollected, knock on the door and check they are okay."

Late last year, they implemented a programme called 'Let's Share Hawke's Bay' - essentially an inter-generational flatting scenario.

"A program like this ensures older people are safer and are not as socially isolated within our communities."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Teen killer found after escaping custody by fleeing health centre with cast on arm

Hawkes Bay Today

The council with just one candidate as deadline for nominations looms

Hawkes Bay Today

Date set for new Puketapu Bridge to open: 'It means so much to our community'


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Teen killer found after escaping custody by fleeing health centre with cast on arm
Hawkes Bay Today

Teen killer found after escaping custody by fleeing health centre with cast on arm

'Immediate review' will be carried out, Hawke's Bay Regional Prison says.

21 Jul 03:29 AM
The council with just one candidate as deadline for nominations looms
Hawkes Bay Today

The council with just one candidate as deadline for nominations looms

21 Jul 02:56 AM
Date set for new Puketapu Bridge to open: 'It means so much to our community'
Hawkes Bay Today

Date set for new Puketapu Bridge to open: 'It means so much to our community'

21 Jul 01:25 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 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