Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

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 / Rotorua Daily Post

Ferro-James Sio's death: Man accused of Rotorua 5-year-old's murder appears before full public gallery

Rotorua Daily Post
27 Feb, 2020 01:12 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

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

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
William Sio appears in the Rotorua District Court. Photo / Stephen Parker

William Sio appears in the Rotorua District Court. Photo / Stephen Parker

The alleged murderer of a 5-year-old boy has appeared before a full public gallery this morning.

Five-year-old Ferro-James Tiopira Sio died in Rotorua Hospital on February 8.

On February 18, the boy's father, 24-year-old William James Sio, was charged with murder and ill-treatment/neglect of a child. Leza Rawiri, 28, was charged with ill-treatment/neglect of a child.

Ferro-James Sio. Photo / Supplied
Ferro-James Sio. Photo / Supplied

William Sio appeared in person wearing a blue boiler suit before Judge Greg Hollister-Jones in the Rotorua District Court this morning.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The public gallery was full of Ferro-James' whānau and five police staff stood in uniform beside them.

Sio was initially charged with assault of a child and first appeared in the Rotorua District Court on February 10.

Police said further charges were "likely" at the time.

This morning the assault charge was formally withdrawn.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He was remanded in custody to appear in the High Court at Rotorua on March 13.

A member of the public slammed the door as she left the court after Sio's appearance.

Rawiri, the co-defendant, appeared via audiovisual link from custody.

She hid her face from the screen.

Discover more

New Zealand

Man dies following alleged Rotorua assault

17 Feb 02:27 AM
New Zealand|crime

Father of 5yo boy charged with his murder

17 Feb 11:14 PM

Treasure trove: $100k ring, gold, silver found in Bay meth bust

18 Feb 01:43 AM

Large amounts of stolen items recovered in Rotorua

23 Feb 09:35 PM
Memorial for Ferro-James Sio at the tree outside the Union St house he lived in. Photo / File
Memorial for Ferro-James Sio at the tree outside the Union St house he lived in. Photo / File

Defence counsel Moana Dorset told the court Ferro-James was not Rawiri's son.

Rawiri was remanded in custody to reappear with her co-accused in the High Court on March 13.

Police and forensics scientists cordoned off the house on Union St, Victoria, on the weekend of Ferro-James' death and a post-mortem examination was carried out.

About 100 people gathered for a vigil for Ferro-James at Jean Batten Square in Rotorua on February 16.

Karakia for Ferro-James Sio. Photo / File
Karakia for Ferro-James Sio. Photo / File

Ferro-James' whānau from Rotorua and Tauranga were supported by fellow attendees.

Earlier that day Man Up also held a Ride for Hope to acknowledge the child's death.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

At the time, Oranga Tamariki's northern deputy chief executive for services for children and families, Glynis Sandland, said: "The death of this little boy is extremely distressing".

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

How a cop beat a $70 parking ticket in court after app wouldn't let him pay

Rotorua Daily Post

Ōhope's most expensive home? Bach by NZ's best beach has expats excited

Rotorua Daily Post

Q&A: Rotorua ward candidates name their key issues, 10-year vision


Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

How a cop beat a $70 parking ticket in court after app wouldn't let him pay
Rotorua Daily Post

How a cop beat a $70 parking ticket in court after app wouldn't let him pay

He felt obliged to fight the fine 'on behalf of his colleagues, friends and the public'.

05 Sep 07:00 PM
Ōhope's most expensive home? Bach by NZ's best beach has expats excited
Rotorua Daily Post

Ōhope's most expensive home? Bach by NZ's best beach has expats excited

05 Sep 06:00 PM
Q&A: Rotorua ward candidates name their key issues, 10-year vision
Rotorua Daily Post

Q&A: Rotorua ward candidates name their key issues, 10-year vision

05 Sep 05:00 PM


NZ’s convenience icon turns 35
Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

02 Sep 09:23 PM
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
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • 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