NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

One year on: Toddler who saw murder of mother Marie Harlick

Jared Savage
By Jared Savage
Investigative Journalist·NZ Herald·
24 Nov, 2017 04:00 PM9 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Marie Harlick talks about raising the child of her niece who was murdered by her partner in Opotiki in 2016. Video / Alan Gibson
EXCLUSIVE: One year after the murder of Marie Harlick - and to mark White Ribbon Day - her aunt speaks about healing a little girl who watched her mother beaten to death.

Marie Harlick was asleep when the phone call came. Her niece Vicki was in tears, breathless and hysterical.

"She said 'Aunty Marie, it's Mush...she's dead. He's killed her, Mush has been bashed to death'."

Mush was Marie Rose Harlick, Vicki's sister.

She was named after her aunt, who was left numb at hearing of her violent death in the middle of the night.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Marie and Marie had been close, once.

Aunty Marie helped to raise her niece in Whangarei when the Vicki and Marie's father - her brother - upped and left when she was a toddler.

They drifted apart when Aunty Marie moved to Auckland, although she kept tabs on her younger namesake, who turned to drugs and drink in her teenage years.

Aunty Marie disapproved of the party lifestyle and didn't hesitate in letting her niece know.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"She called me 'The Sheriff'....I loved her so much, but we were like oil and water."

After one particularly aggressive confrontation, years ago, the younger Marie was shown the door. She never came back.

So when Vicki called with the terrible news, panicking about "Vivienne" in the police station, Aunty Marie was confused.

"I said: 'Who is Vivienne?'. And she replied: 'Her baby'.

Discover more

New Zealand

Red flags failed murdered mum, baby

24 Nov 04:00 PM
New Zealand|crime

Marie Harlick's killer jailed for at least 17 years

12 Dec 09:00 PM
New Zealand

Marie Harlick's killer 'looked me in the eye'

13 Dec 12:30 AM
Kahu

Bosses of 10 Govt agencies to be held accountable - new plan to tackle NZ's appalling violence

28 Sep 02:00 AM

"I couldn't get her out of my head. This baby. Little Vivienne."

Vivienne is the youngest of Marie Harlick's five daughters. Photo/Alan Gibson.
Vivienne is the youngest of Marie Harlick's five daughters. Photo/Alan Gibson.

But she couldn't just drop everything to be with whanau in Whakatane.

Her own mother suffers from dementia and needs to be cared for.

She was also asked to identify her niece's body in the mortuary in Auckland Hospital.

Marie Harlick had been punched, kicked and stomped to death in a 20-minute assault by her partner Robert Hohua.

Read more:
•Herald investigation: The Misery of Marie

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"That's one of the hardest things anyone can do...She looked so beautiful," said Aunty Marie.

"Unbeknown to me that was the only angle she could be viewed from."

She started talking to her namesake lying on the table, racked by grief but also guilt.

"I couldn't stop apologising, that I was sorry I stepped back, maybe I could have helped her....that I let her down."

And Aunty Marie asked for help. Because she wanted to take care of Vivienne.

"I promise I'll love her."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Marie Harlick was survived by five daughters. Photo/Supplied.
Marie Harlick was survived by five daughters. Photo/Supplied.

But when she first saw Vivienne, Aunty Marie's heart sank.

She was sitting in the garage at Vicki's house in Whakatane where the family were gathering ahead of the funeral.

"I looked up and here was this tiny, tiny child. She was malnourished, her hair lacked lustre, her skin was dry," Marie Harlick says.

"She looked up at me and I'll never forget. Vivienne viewed everybody through her beautiful long eyelashes. That was her shield."

Her face was a frown. Not of anger, but of distance.

So Aunty Marie waited and watched as Vivienne was handed from relative to relative.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She went shopping in Whakatane to stock up on supplies.

Formula, food, nappies, toiletries, shoes, pyjamas, clothes, as well as a special outfit for her mother's funeral.

"I just wanted her to look loved."

After the funeral, Aunty Marie mustered the courage to say she wanted to take Vivienne home to Auckland.

She knew there would be resistance.

Everyone was still grieving and, as the youngest of Marie's five daughters, Vivienne was a living reminder of her mother.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Others put their hands up, but Child Youth & Family made the decision for them.

So seven days after watching her mother beaten to death, Vivienne left Whakatane in a car full of strangers.

Vicki Harlick, left, had to break the news about the murder of her sister Marie Harlick to their aunt. Photo/Alan Gibson.
Vicki Harlick, left, had to break the news about the murder of her sister Marie Harlick to their aunt. Photo/Alan Gibson.

Strangers who loved her, but strangers nonetheless.

"I was aware Vivienne had a life before she even knew who I was," said Aunty Marie. "It wasn't a good life, but it was her life. And the only life she knew."

They tried to sing songs on the drive home to Takanini, but Vivienne was silent.
No tears, no nothing.

"It was almost cruel to try to get into her world," said Aunty Marie, "so I had to be patient."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Everyone at home was on strict instructions to smile, but not approach the timid toddler.

Vivienne refused to accept food; instead scrounging from the bin or the bottom of the freezer looking for peas spilled from the packet.

But after several days in her new home, she started to relax.

"She started to go through the kitchen cupboards. We just let her pull everything out," says Aunty Marie.

"She won't play with toys, but give her a plastic cup or dishcloth and she'll be entertained for hours."

During the day, slowly but surely, Vivienne showed signs of healing.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But by night, she was taken back to November 22, 2016.

Vivienne was strapped into a stroller and probably watched as her mother was punched, kicked and stomped to death by Rob Hohua.

When a police officer pulled back a blanket covering the body of Marie Harlick, he found the 19-month-old lying beside her dead mother.

"She wakes up in the night screaming, 'Mummy, mummy', absolutely screaming in terror. Absolute terror," says Aunty Marie.

"I pick her up and physically feel her body trembling."

When the nightmares come, Vivienne often needs to sleep beside Aunty Marie to calm down.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"She clenches me so tight around the neck, I have to loosen the grip....and I wonder, 'Is that how she clung on to her mother?'

"It just makes me cry."

Until recently, Aunty Marie was not the legal guardian of Vivienne, so she was unable to let her see a play therapist who specialises in treating traumatised children.

But the therapist was allowed to teach Aunty Marie, who in turn could teach Vivienne.

The nightmares still come each night, but they're less intense now. And she cries out for "Nana".

Vivienne turns 3 in March. She eats well, plays with other children at daycare, loves to sing and dance, does the haka.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She's not as lost as she once was; but Aunty Marie knows she'll have difficult questions to answer when Vivienne grows up.

"She doesn't have a mum. And she doesn't have a dad."

Robert Roupere Hohua was convicted of Marie Harlick's murder. Photo/Alan Gibson.
Robert Roupere Hohua was convicted of Marie Harlick's murder. Photo/Alan Gibson.

Though Hohua - who will be sentenced next month for murder - is named as the father on the birth certificate, her family believe Marie was five months' pregnant when the relationship started.

A legal process is under way to prove paternity, but either way, Hohua is not going to play a part in her childhood.

"How am I going to tell her? I don't know...how does anyone tell a child a horrible thing like that," says Aunty Marie.

"My job is to bring Vivienne up the best I can, make her as strong as I can, teach her some really good morals, give her a good education, so she can be a valued member of society."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Vivienne will have a life, with opportunities, her mother never had: a life she wouldn't have experienced, in all likelihood, except for her mother's tragic death.

It's not that Marie Harlick wasn't a loving mother. She showered her daughters with affection, says her aunt, that was obvious from meeting her four "lovely, lovely" older daughters.

But her niece was never taught how to be an effective parent:the legacy of her own dysfunctional upbringing, according to Aunty Marie.

"Mush showed them love, she kissed them, hugged them, embraced them. But there's more to being a parent, and she wasn't shown the skills. If she knew, she would have been a great parent.

"Vivienne loved her mum. But she was eating food out of the bin, malnourished - that wasn't the life Mush ever would have wanted for her.

"But when you're in an abusive relationship, you're trying to survive. You focus on the abuser, not making a mistake, and you forget about the little child on the floor."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Aunty Marie knows the reality.

At the time she parted ways with her teenage niece, when she stepped back from being the family "sheriff", Marie was dealing with the fallout of leaving her own long-term troubled relationship.

She feels guilt about not being there for Marie Harlick. She was just trying to survive too.

But she's there for Vivienne.

"Our country needs to stop this eh. Vivienne is a fine example of the ripple effect that abuse has on the little ones.

"She's suffered enough. It's about good times now for Vivienne."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Marie Harlick, left, promised to take care of Vivienne after the toddler's mother was murdered. Photo/Alan Gibson.
Marie Harlick, left, promised to take care of Vivienne after the toddler's mother was murdered. Photo/Alan Gibson.

If you're in danger now:

• Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours of friends to ring for you.
• Run outside and head for where there are other people.
• Scream for help so that your neighbours can hear you.
• Take the children with you.
• Don't stop to get anything else.
• If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault. Violence is never okay

Where to go for help or more information:

• Women's Refuge: Free national crisis line operates 24/7 - 0800 refuge or 0800 733 843 www.womensrefuge.org.nz
• Shine, free national helpline 9am- 11pm every day - 0508 744 633 www.2shine.org.nz
• It's Not Ok: Information line 0800 456 450 www.areyouok.org.nz
• Shakti: Providing specialist cultural services for African, Asian and middle eastern women and their children. Crisis line 24/7 0800 742 584 • Ministry of Justice: www.justice.govt.nz/family-justice/domestic-violence
• National Network of Stopping Violence: www.nnsvs.org.nz
• White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women, focusing this year on sexual violence and the issue of consent. www.whiteribbon.org.nz

How to hide your visit

If you are reading this information on the Herald website and you're worried that someone using the same computer will find out what you've been looking at, you can follow the steps at the link here to hide your visit. Each of the websites above also have a section that outlines this process.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Premium
OpinionUpdated

The unique camera China used to film Christopher Luxon and what it means

21 Jun 12:31 AM
World

Luxon meets Xi Jinping, Russian drone attack, Trump on Iran | NZ Herald News Update

New Zealand|crime

Nurse conned $112k from workmates for gigs, gambling

20 Jun 11:00 PM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Premium
The unique camera China used to film Christopher Luxon and what it means

The unique camera China used to film Christopher Luxon and what it means

21 Jun 12:31 AM

A Chinese cameraman brought a unique camera to film Luxon in Beijing.

Luxon meets Xi Jinping, Russian drone attack, Trump on Iran | NZ Herald News Update

Luxon meets Xi Jinping, Russian drone attack, Trump on Iran | NZ Herald News Update

Nurse conned $112k from workmates for gigs, gambling

Nurse conned $112k from workmates for gigs, gambling

20 Jun 11:00 PM
Christopher Luxon raises Cook Islands impasse with Chinese Premier

Christopher Luxon raises Cook Islands impasse with Chinese Premier

20 Jun 10:02 PM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP