“Holding someone to account for her death has been our focus, and we hope this brings some relief to Kathleen’s family,” Det Insp de Lange said.
The charged man was taken into custody on Monday and he made an initial appearance in the Hastings District Court yesterday.
“As the matter is now before the courts, we are unable to comment further at this time,” Det Insp de Lange said.
A member of Ms Kawana’s family posted on social media thanking everyone who “unconditionally” supported the family since her disappearance and death.
“After a long and tiring five years of waiting for this moment that felt like a lifetime, I can finally close my eyes in peace,” she said.
“My heart still aches for you Kathleen every second of every day, but from today onwards it’s only up from here.”
On the day of her tangi, Kawana’s uncle remembered her as a “happy-go-lucky, bubbly child” and a “typical” mother “bringing her kiddies up”.
The new owners of the Ngarimu Hill property where her body was found on August 3, 2019, discovered her remains when they went to the property.
A member of Kawana’s family said at the time she was found that she had been living in the house on the property, but he could not say for how long.
Kawana was born and bred in Flaxmere, Hastings and then moved to Porirua and Titahi Bay.
She lost a child tragically in 2005 when her 6-year-old girl, Iriaka, was pinned and killed by a falling tree branch in a Flaxmere Park.
