Chris Kahui looks to have a fight on his hands if he pursues legal action to regain custody of his sole surviving child.
Three-year-old Shayne was seized by Child Youth and Family from Kahui and former partner Macsyna King when the couple's twins Chris and Cru were admitted
to Starship hospital with what proved fatal injuries.
At the time, Shayne's then 6-month-old cousin Cyene - the daughter of Mona Kahui and Stuart King - was also uplifted by CYF from the property, with both children put in the care of Macsyna King's wider whanau in Gisborne.
Kahui - who initially blamed Shayne, aged 1, for the injuries sustained by Chris and Cru - has engaged family court lawyer Anne Day to win back his 3-year-old son from CYF custody.
Claiming to have found God in recent months, Mona Kahui is also seeking to regain custody of Cyene.
CYF declined to comment on the two cases, but well-placed sources close to the Kahui family told the Herald on Sunday it was unlikely either parent would regain custody of their children while there were so many unanswered questions surrounding the deaths of Chris and Cru.
Both Chris and Mona Kahui would have to present legal arguments to the Family Court before any such move could be considered. One source said although Kahui had been acquitted of murdering Chris and Cru, there was a view that, as their father, he had not protected the twins from harm while they were alive. That consideration alone would make it difficult for him to win any custody hearing, the source said.
Another issue was the fact both children were so malnourished when they were seized by CYF, they had to spend several nights in Middlemore Hospital.
Kahui was granted fortnightly visitation rights to see Shayne in Gisborne last year, but his bail conditions prevented him from travelling outside Auckland to see the boy.
