It’s been almost six weeks since 25-year-old Te Anihana Beau Pomana went missing after leaving Auckland’s SkyCity early on August 21. Dressed in a distinctive white jersey, white sneakers and cream-coloured pants, police say there have been no fresh leads in the case. Her mother and aunt spoke to Michael
Mother of missing Auckland woman says daughter had cash when she left SkyCity, spent two hours in hotel’s basement carpark
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Anderson said her daughter was suffering mental health issues and the possibility that she had cash with her that morning made her even more vulnerable.
Police have previously said there’s nothing to suggest Te Anihana’s been the victim of foul play.
However, Detective Senior Sergeant Martin Friend confirmed to the Herald she did make cash withdrawals prior to her disappearance.
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“The amount has not been disclosed due to concern it could put her at risk. No cash was located in Te Anihana’s room at SkyCity Hotel and her bank cards were among a range of items she left behind,” Friend said.
There have been only two sightings of Te Anihana on CCTV cameras since she left SkyCity on August 21 – the first from the hotel’s own cameras outside the main entrance at 5.06am.
It’s understood there was also a glimpse of her on CCTV as she walked past Asian eatery Seven Poke on the corner of Graham St and Victoria St West at 5.16am.
A worker at the store confirmed to the Herald police had viewed their CCTV of the morning and a partial shot of a woman in white was visible in the footage.
The footage suggests Te Anihana was heading towards Victoria Park and may have passed Les Mills’ flagship gym – a busy fitness centre where a sprint class would have been getting underway around the same time.
Anderson appealed to anyone who was at the gym early on Thursday August 21 who saw Te Anihana in her distinctive white clothing to contact police.
She also urged businesses with any relevant video to get in touch.
“We know people would have been at Les Mills. She could have been talking to someone, she could have caught a bus, taxi. We know she had some cash on her at that point.”
She said police had planned to hand out flyers outside the gym tomorrow morning but had called her this week to cancel the event because of a lack of staff.
“It’s just devastating to be honest. It’s just like she’s not important enough,” she said.
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However, Friend told the Herald the flyer drop would go ahead but more planning was needed first to get the best results.
Anderson told the Herald there’s another concerning aspect to her daughter’s disappearance – she’d been in the carpark beneath SkyCity for two hours prior to leaving the building.
Anderson said when she returned to her room she was in a dishevelled state with dirty clothing.
“She’s gone down in clean clothing and come out dirty. We saw her going down [on SkyCity CCTV] but there’s no camera footage showing where she went or what she was doing for those two hours,” she said.
She said Te Anihana’s dirty clothing was left in her room and when she was spotted leaving the hotel that morning she was dressed in a clean outfit.
Friend confirmed Te Anihana spent around two hours in the SkyCity basement carpark before leaving the hotel on August 21.
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“Lines of inquiry have been unable to establish why Te Anihana was there and police surmise her state of mind may have been a factor,” he said.
Anderson said she can’t fathom how there’s been no further sightings of her daughter in a city covered by CCTV, and in a place not far from where detectives traced the last steps of murdered British backpacker Grace Millane.
“As a mother it’s just horrific. We’re just hoping for something every day,” she told the Herald.
Anderson, who lives in Dunedin, has been doing her best to retrace her daughter’s steps in the lead-up to her disappearance – including driving to a whānau marae near Kaeo which Te Anihana visited a week before she went missing.
Anderson said those at the marae had been amazing and helped put the word out about Te Anihana’s disappearance.
“We are not going to give up looking for her. We want to get her back, and we hope she’s alive,” she said.
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Health system concerns
Catherine Anderson described her daughter as a vibrant energetic woman who was willing to help anyone.
She said Te Anihana previously worked at the Office for Treaty Settlements which is part of the Justice Ministry and was part way through a masters in indigenous studies.
However, Anderson said in recent months the 25-year-old suffered a significant mental health decline and her behaviour changed.
Her aunt Sarah Anderson last saw Te Anihana on July 19 – a month before she went missing – when she stayed with her in Auckland for a night.
She told the Herald when she arrived, she had come from Middlemore Hospital after being treated for injuries in a car accident.
Sarah Anderson said she appeared in good spirits during the brief visit.
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“You would not have even known anything was wrong. It was just normal Te Anihana. She ate; she slept. She didn’t want to stay the hospital, but she was happy to be here,” she said.
The following day, Te Anihana left Auckland and returned to her hometown of Dunedin to be with her mother.
Catherine took her to Dunedin Hospital’s emergency department to treat her injuries, and Te Anihana subsequently agreed to being admitted to a mental health ward at Wakari Hospital.
She said her daughter was not sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
Te Anihana subsequently left the ward – although Anderson said she wasn’t informed of this despite a specific request she be told if her daughter discharged herself.
Health New Zealand’s director of specialist mental health and addiction Karla Bergquist said the Mental Health Act can require patients remain in hospital if there are safety concerns.
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However, in general, she said patients are within their rights to leave hospital when they choose.
“Even when under the Mental Health Act, a person may be granted leave from an inpatient setting as part of their treatment plan,” she said.
On July 30, Te Anihana then flew to Christchurch and then on to Auckland where on August 18 she paid upfront for a week’s stay at SkyCity.
“We thought we were doing the right thing by getting her into hospital, but as it’s turned out, we were not even notified that she had discharged herself,” she said.
Police say they hold grave concerns for Te Anihana’s safety and urged anyone who sees her to call triple one immediately.
Anyone with other information about Te Anihana’s whereabouts should call 105 and use the reference number 250822/6281.
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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 NZ Television Awards. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the Herald’s video team in July 2024.