Siale Siale charged with manslaughter following Luke Smith’s death

Siale Siale appearing in the Wellington District Court. Photo / Catherine Hutton

A man charged with the manslaughter of Luke Smith in central Wellington a fortnight ago can now be named as Siale Siale.

Luke Smith, 21, arrived in New Zealand earlier this year with his family from South Africa. Smith was attending an event in the city celebrating South Africans before he was fatally injured.

He was put on life support after the alleged assault outside the Reading Cinema complex on Wellington’s Courtenay Place in the early hours of Sunday, October 6.

Siale, 29, was originally charged with wounding with reckless disregard for Smith’s safety.

Today in the Wellington District Court that charge was withdrawn and substituted for a charge of manslaughter.

Judge Brandt Shortland remanded Siale on bail to appear in the High Court at Wellington next month. He did not continue name suppression and also varied Siale’s conditions of bail, limiting his ability to travel.

A Givealittle page set up to help send Smith’s body back to South Africa has raised almost $25,000.

Luke Smith, 21, died in hospital on October 8, 2024 after being critically assaulted on Wellington's Courtenay Place in the early hours of October 6, 2024.

A post on the group’s Facebook page described Smith as a “kind and gentle soul enjoying an evening of fun at a wonderful event that ended peacefully”.

The post said he was a “vibrant young man” whose life was “senselessly cut short”.

“His death has shattered his family, leaving them in unimaginable grief, heartache, and now facing unexpected financial challenges as they try to navigate this terrible reality.”

Catherine Hutton is an Open Justice reporter, based in Wellington. She has worked as a journalist for 20 years, including at the Waikato Times and RNZ. Most recently she was working as a media advisor at the Ministry of Justice.