A year ago, the Flaxmere community paid tribute to Emma-Jane Sylvia Kupa (inset) by leaving flowers and gifts at the site where she was killed on Chatham Rd. Photos / Rafaella Melo, Supplied
A year ago, the Flaxmere community paid tribute to Emma-Jane Sylvia Kupa (inset) by leaving flowers and gifts at the site where she was killed on Chatham Rd. Photos / Rafaella Melo, Supplied
Twelve months have passed since Hawke’s Bay schoolgirl Emma-Jane Sylvia Kupa was killed while riding her bike. The 11-year-old’s family say it has been a “hell of a year” marked by grief and anger. Rafaella Melo reports.
On January 30, 2025, Emma-Jane helped her mother, ShannonDavis, sprinkle cheese on a lasagne for dinner before she and her sister headed to a shop in Flaxmere.
Emma-Jane had been riding her bike on Chatham Rd alongside her 15-year-old sister, Saige, who was on a scooter, when she was struck by a car being driven by 34-year-old Terina Pineaha.
Pineaha had been intoxicated, high on methamphetamine, and before hitting Emma-Jane was travelling at a speed between 88km/h and 100km/h and on the wrong side of the road.
The impact threw Emma-Jane 25m away on to a grass verge beside Ron Giorgi Park. She died at the scene despite efforts to save her.
“It’s been one hell of a year,” Davis said, reflecting on the time that had passed since her daughter’s death.
The family says Pineaha’s sentence felt like a further blow.
“Four and a half years but she could be out in 18 months ... it’s a joke,” Davis said.
“It’s like my daughter’s life didn’t matter … where’s the justice? Not just for my Emma but for my other daughter, Saige. The law system failed us."
Under New Zealand law, offenders sentenced to more than two years become eligible for parole after serving one-third of their sentence, unless the court sets a longer minimum non-parole period.
“There will be no closure till we get what my baby deserves.”
Shannon Davis with her daughter Emma-Jane Sylvia Kupa.
Davis believed no safety improvements had taken place on Chatham Rd since Emma-Jane’s death.
“People are still speeding and acting stupid on the road,” she claimed.
A Coroner’s report issued last September determined no further inquiry was needed because all necessary matters had been established through the criminal proceedings.
Davis said the family was waiting to meet with the Hastings District Council about establishing a pedestrian crossing where Emma-Jane was killed.
The council told Hawke’s Bay Today the crash was complex and the police investigation had found the road environment would not have prevented the tragedy.
“Council has, however, undertaken a speed count on this road, which showed that generally vehicle speeds were within acceptable limits,” a council spokesperson said.
Another count was planned for February to see whether results were different.
