Houhora homicide: Name suppression lapses for Far North murder accused

Saralee Moke was found dead at the Houhora Heads Holiday Park on April 4.

A woman accused of murder after the discovery of a body at a Far North camping ground had her name suppression lifted when she appeared in the High Court today.

Kaytee Tahau, 46, of Kaitāia, has been charged with the murder of Saralee Moke after an incident at Houhora Heads Holiday Park in Pukenui on April 4.

Police were called to the park about 12.30am and found Moke with critical injuries. Despite emergency efforts, she died at the scene.

Tahau has also been charged with assault on another woman, Renee Bevan, around the same time.

She was arrested at the scene and appeared in the Kaitāia District Court shortly afterwards.

Her case was transferred to the High Court at Whangārei, where she appeared via audio-visual link from prison today and a not-guilty plea was entered.

Tahau is being represented by Arthur Fairley. However, Matthew Ridgley acted for her today and a trial date was set for June 29, 2026.

The trial is expected to last three weeks.

The matter is scheduled for a case review hearing on June 21. Tahau has been excused from appearing.

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.