Coroner investigates six Northland youth suicides, searching for solutions

The death of Hamuera Ellis-Erihe is being investigated at a Northland coroner hearing.

WARNING: This article discusses suicide and may be upsetting to some readers.

Bullying, mental health, relationships and support services are being brought to the surface as an inquiry begins into a spate of suspected youth suicides in Northland that left six families devastated.

“My son was very loved, loved beyond words but love wasn’t enough to keep him here,” one mother said through tears on day one of a month-long coroner’s inquest hearing.

The hearing is being heard before Coroner Tania Tetitaha and will look into the deaths of five youths in 2018 and one in 2020. They were aged between 12 and 16.

Coroner Tetitaha opened the hearing on Tuesday by acknowledging the extreme emotional trauma the loss of the young people has caused and said she hoped the hearing’s outcomes would bring closure for their whānau.

She said the issues of what led to each suspected suicide will be explored, including impediments to access to suicide prevention and recommendations to prevent similar deaths occurring.

“We need to be able to move you on so you have some pathway forward,” Coroner Tetitaha said to whānau at the hearing.

Hamuera Rawiri Arapeta Ellis-Erihe was 16 years old when he is believed to have taken his own life. His mother Bobby-Jo Ellis was the first witness to give evidence around details leading up to her son’s death.

Ellis told the court her son was a caring soul, full of potential who brought so much happiness to his whānau and was a natural dancer.

“He loved music, he was a rapper, a dancer and a bit of a singer. He was a real natural,” she said.

“He was also a bit of a lady’s man, he was all about the girls.”

When Ellis-Erihe hit high school, his life began to take a turn.

The mother of three said her son was beaten up by a local street gang, the ADKZ, for shoes and phones on an almost fortnightly basis.

She said the gang would circulate at bus stops looking for recruits and her son stopped going to school to avoid them. When she told him to sort the situation out, he joined the gang.

“He tried to stay away from them but thought ‘If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”, she said.

Ellis said she was regularly called into the deputy principal’s office in regard to her son’s behaviour.

“Solo mothers are trying to keep our children at school but it is hard to keep a child at school when a child doesn’t want to be there, I was doing all I could,” she said.

By 16, Ellis-Erihe was on to his third high school, where he finally found his place.

“He was very loved there and was loving it. We saw some huge changes, he had set some goals and he knew what he wanted to do,” Ellis said proudly.

Ellis said her son had a girlfriend of three years whom he loved very much but at times there were difficulties in the relationship.

On August 25, 2018, her son was up early, had done the dishes and was ready for school. She dropped him and his girlfriend off at school but was surprised when he turned up at home an hour later.

“He just sat on the couch and played spacies, he was really down.”

Northland coroner Tania Tetitaha is leading the inquiry into the youth suicides. Photo / NZME

She heard he had argued with his girlfriend over a doughnut. Later that night, he insisted that someone drop him off at her house.

‘I died the day Hamuera died’

About 11pm he had a bag on his back and said he was going to her house and his mother said: “Don’t be stupid, I’ll take you tomorrow.”

It would be the last time she would see her son, who was found deceased the next day.

“I died the day Hamuera died,” she said through tears.

“I have given up on life so to speak, I don’t cook, I don’t drive anymore because I become oblivious, a few times I would drive through red lights and I haven’t slept since he died.”

People began to leave items in memory of Ellis-Erihe at Raumanga Valley Reserve, which his mother said the council told her to remove several times.

“I had to tell them I couldn’t keep doing it as it was hard for me as his mum, I would take them away and more would appear.”

In the end, Whangārei District Council realised the huge impact his life had on others and installed a memorial plaque in his honour in the park.

Ellis said that after her son’s death, support for those left behind became a huge issue and felt she could not connect with counsellors being offered to her or her children.

“She made me draw pictures of my favourite places, I found it lame and demoralising.”

Hamuera Ellis-Erihe was described as a happy, caring soul. Photo / supplied

Ellis said she hoped telling her son’s story would help others and was seeking recommendations from the coroner around more awareness for suicide and prevention of bullying.

“There needs to be more awareness and support that suicide should never be an option.

“I don’t want to see this happen again let alone to someone I love. My son was very loved, loved beyond words but love wasn’t enough to keep him here.”

Multiple witnesses will be called to give evidence from the Ministry of Education, Oranga Tamariki and Health New Zealand.

Coroner Tetitaha is expected to release her recommendations in early 2025 and but already indicated “there will be a finding that all these rangatahi died by suicide“.

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.