Trio appear in court charged with murder of Far North man Euan Mackey

Euan Mackey, 59, died from stab wounds following an incident at a Mangamuka property in March this year.

Three people have now been charged with murder following an alleged stabbing in the remote area of Mangamuka in the Far North.

Euan Mackey, 59, died from wounds from an alleged altercation on March 3 at an Iwitaua Rd address where police were called after receiving reports of a stabbing.

A 38-year-old man, a 39-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man have been arrested over the past two weeks. However, only the 50-year-old was initially charged with murder.

At the High Court in Whangārei today, murder charges were formally laid on the 38-year-old and the 39-year-old.

The woman appeared via Audio Visual Link from a prison and the 50-year-old man spent his time in the dock waving and making heart shapes at her with his hands.

As legal counsel was only assigned in the past week and murder charges were laid today, interim name suppression was granted for all three.

All defendants pleaded not guilty and a trial date was set for April 13, 2026, in which Justice Timothy Brewer expressed his dissatisfaction.

“I find this date to be unacceptably distant. A trial of charges such as these should not be scheduled for trial further out than 12 to 15 months,” Justice Brewer said.

Justice Brewer said he would work with High Court scheduling staff to see whether the date could be brought forward.

The trio will appear next in the High Court in Whangārei on May 24 for a case review hearing.

Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.