Ice-skating fall victim Kymani Hiley-Hetaraka to be farewelled today, parents reveal her last words

• The parents of a 13-year-old who died at an ice skating rink are questioning why she was not wearing a helmet when she fell
• They say her last words were “I love you” to her sister in the moment after the incident before she began seizing.
• A memorial is being held at the school today to farewell the girl who is described as “kind and caring”.

The parents of the 13-year-old girl who died after a catastrophic fall at a Christchurch ice skating rink are questioning the needless death of their daughter as they farewell her in a ceremony at her school today.

Kymani Hiley-Hetaraka was taken to Christchurch Hospital in a critical condition a week ago after suffering an unsurvivable head injury at the city’s Alpine Ice Sports Centre.

Curtis Gwatkin and Maraea Hetaraka, Kymani’s parents, say their “baby” should not have had to die for something to change and that she should have been wearing a helmet.

Kymani Hiley-Hetaraka died in Christchurch Hospital last Thursday following an ice skating accident. Photo / Supplied

They have also revealed Kymani’s older sister was on the same school trip and was at her side moments after the fall.

“[My daughter] said she saw [Kymani] go bum over head and was just lying there,” Gwatkin said.

“She went over to her and picked her up …[Kymani] looked up at her, said ‘I love you’ and then went into full seizure mode.”

Kymani died at Christchurch Hospital two days later.

Gwatkin said he was told the school trip would be to the zoo, not an ice skating rink.

He said just two weeks before her fatal accident, Kymani tried to rollerskate with her sister and fell “multiple times”.

“I never knew that they would end up taking them ice skating. I would have said, ‘hell no’.”

Both parents were told students were given the option of wearing helmets but they all refused.

“It should have been compulsory, it should have been enforced,” Gawtkin said.

“Why does my baby have to die for people to have to do something?”

Kymani died after suffering an unsurvivable head injury while ice skating on a school trip.

In the days following the incident, Alpine Ice Sports Centre introduced a mandatory helmet policy.

“From Monday 5 August, all customers are required to wear a helmet while attending our public skating sessions. Helmets are provided free of charge by Alpine, or skaters may prefer to bring their own well-fitting cycle helmet,” the company wrote on social media.

WorkSafe earlier told the Herald an investigation into the facility’s safety procedures was underway.

Gwatkin said the Alpine Ice Sports Centre had not reached out to their family at any stage since their daughter was taken from the rink in an ambulance.

Heteraka described Kymani as “kind, caring and helpful”.

“If she saw kids with no friends, she would introduce them to her friends.”

She said her daughter wanted to be a “mum with 50 kids” when she was older, as well as a Black Fern star and a professional dancer.

“She was supposed to do all that, she was supposed to be here with me, instead all I have is a box and some photos.”

Kymani was farewelled by friends and classmates this afternoon at a memorial service at her school Haeata Community Campus.

The service began with a haka and waiata by Haeata school staff, students and family members.

An emotional memorial service for Kymani Hiley-Hetaraka was held at Haeata Community Campus in Christchurch today. Photo / George Heard

Hundreds of people from all over the country gathered to remember Kymani, affectionately known as “Marnz”.

Her mother, Maraea Hetaraka, was the first to speak.

“My beautiful girl, marnz I loved you yesterday, I love you today and I will love you forever,” she said.

“I wish we weren’t here, today, but we are … because the safety measures just weren’t in place.”

Maraea urged kids in the audience to wear their helmets, “no matter what”.

“Wear your helmets, whether you’re ice skating or any other activity just make it click, we wouldn’t have to be here if she had just had a helmet on.”

Kymani was remembered as a friend to everybody she met.

Her Uncle Dusty Hetaraka, who travelled from “the top of the North Island” to be at the service, said words couldn’t describe how special she was.

“She was a beautiful soul,” he said.

Maraea thanks Haeata campus for opening up their school for them.

“She absolutely loved it here,” she said.

Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.