The sister of a woman who was last seen leaving Auckland’s SkyCity says family “won’t give up” searching for her and is appealing for help from inner-city business owners and property managers.
Ebony Pomana has travelled from Dunedin to Auckland to help reignite efforts to find rel="" title="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/mother-of-missing-auckland-woman-says-daughter-had-cash-when-she-left-skycity-spent-two-hours-in-hotels-basement-carpark/27AJHODEWJEBJEPKUZ7CJVQEUA/">Te Anihana Beau Pomana.
The 25-year-old, who disappeared seven weeks ago today, was last seen on August 21 leaving SkyCity Hotel.
“We’ve come up here from Dunedin and our only mission is to bring Te Anihana home. We will not stop until we achieve that,” she told the Herald.
Pomana urged business owners to check obscure areas like basements, crawl spaces or stairwells.
“If they are not willing to do that themselves, I am asking them to allow me access to these areas,” she said.
“She’s my little sister. I would do anything to find her.”
She also wanted to hear from property managers who have unoccupied or abandoned buildings in the vicinity of SkyCity and Victoria Park.
“It’s important we thoroughly sweep this area because there’s no evidence that she’s gone outside this area.”
She said her sister was smaller than she appears in CCTV footage and would often buy teenage-sized clothing.
Te Anihana Pomana was seen on CCTV leaving SkyCity at 5.06am on August 21 dressed in a distinctive white jersey, white sneakers and cream-coloured pants.
The last confirmed sighting of her was at 5.16am on Victoria St West outside Seven Poke Asian eatery, where she was walking towards Victoria Park.
Prior to her disappearance, Te Anihana Pomana withdrew a large amount of cash from an ATM but left all her other belongings – including her bank cards – in her hotel room at SkyCity.
Ebony Pomana said there was nothing to suggest at this stage that her sister used the cash.
“I understand that she did have some cash on her. I am also very much aware of my sister’s nature. She’s a very giving person. There is a high potential she could have given it away. There’s been no indication that she’s used that cash anywhere,” she said.
She believes had Te Anihana Pomana used the money to leave the CBD area or purchase supplies, information would have been provided to police given the multiple public appeals for information.
Police have also confirmed to the Herald that Te Anihana Pomana was seen talking to a man outside SkyCity prior to her leaving the hotel early on August 21 but this interaction hasn’t resulted in any fresh leads in the case.
“The male has been identified and spoken to by police. He was unable to provide any information to assist the investigation,” a police spokeswoman told the Herald.
Te Anihana Pomana previously worked at the Office for Treaty Settlements, which is part of the Justice Ministry.
It’s not known why she had checked into SkyCity, but her sister said she was struggling with mental health issues and was acting erratically and confused before she disappeared.
Ebony Pomana said she and her whānau members would continue to commute back and forth from Dunedin as many times as necessary until Te Anihana Pomana was found.
She described her sister as a beautiful person who was a well-educated and driven individual.
“I love you and I’m only here to find you,” she said.
Anyone with information about Te Anihana’s whereabouts should call 105 and use the reference number 250822/6281.
Michael Morrah is a senior investigative reporter/team leader at the Herald. He won News Journalist of the Year at the 2025 Voyager Media Awards and has twice been named reporter of the year at the New Zealand Television Awards. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the Herald’s video team in July 2024.