NIA'S BROTHER ABUSED: Fractured skull, Broken bones

The inquest into the death of murdered toddler Nia Glassie has heard that an older sibling suffered serious injuries including broken bones and a fractured skull at the hands of her mother's then boyfriend.
As Lisa Kuka gave evidence before Rotorua Coroner Wallace Bain at the inquest into her 3-year-old daughter's death, it was revealed one of her older children was seriously beaten in 1993 when he was 15 months old and required hospital treatment.
Nia was seriously abused in the months leading up to her death in 2007 by the people in whose care she was left while her mother worked.
Kuka was jailed for nine years for manslaughter for failing to get medical help for Nia and failing to protect her from violence.
Kuka's partner and his brother were jailed for life with a non-parole period of 17 years on charges of murder while two others received three-year jail terms for ill-treating the girl.
Dr Bain yesterday opened the inquest into Nia's death to address several issues, including the household's circumstances, what could have been done to keep Nia safe, what monitoring existed in the whanau and what cultural or social/economic factors contributed to her death.
Kuka was questioned by lawyer for the Ministry of Social Development Adam Lewis about the when her older son suffered three fractures, bruising on his ankles and a fractured skull. The inquest heard Kuka told doctors and social workers at the time that the boy had slipped in the shower.
She said she arrived home from work to find the boy, who was being cared for by her then partner, not walking properly and told the inquest when she asked her partner what happened he said the boy had fallen off his bed.
Kuka said she took him for medical treatment.
A chief social worker for Child, Youth and Family, Kelly Anderson, said in evidence the injuries came to light only after Kuka's brother notified the agency about suspected child abuse after he saw bruising on the toddler's legs.
On examination in hospital, it was discovered the boy had broken bones, a healed skull fracture and bruising, as well as signs of old fractures.
The child was placed into the care of Kuka's brother and later returned to Kuka's care when she ended the relationship with her boyfriend and moved in with her brother's family for support.
Two years later the boy went to live with his natural father.
Kuka had six children when Nia suffered her fatal injuries at the hands of another boyfriend, Wiremu Curtis and his brother Michael Curtis, in 2007 but at the time only the three youngest children were in her care.
She trusted Curtis and left him to care for the children while she was the "breadwinner", working in a Te Puke kiwifruit packhouse as a supervisor for up to 16 hours a day, six days a week.
Nia "bonded well" with Wiremu and called him "Mu", she said.
Sundays were set aside for the children, Kuka said.
When Nia was first taken to hospital Kuka told doctors she had fallen off Wiremu's shoulders. She told the inquest she was "horrified" to discover how Nia was treated by the Curtis brothers.
"I have been asked and I have asked myself why I did not notice or see signs of how Nia was being treated," she said. "I never saw anything that worried me and what I saw was consistent with a little girl having accidents such as falling off her bike."
Kuka said she had never turned a "blind eye" to the abuse on her child, she had simply not known what was happening.
"If I had any idea of the violence that was going on I would have immediately responded for Nia and my other girls," she said.
"She would not be dead now."
Dr Bain adjourned the inquest until September 28 when more evidence will be heard.