Te Kauwhata retirement village death referred to coroner

A death at a Waikato retirement village that was being investigated by police has now been referred to the coroner.

Senior Sergeant Kristine Clarke last week told the Waikato Herald police were making inquiries into an unexplained death at a Pilgrim Place address in Te Kauwhata on Monday.

She said a scene examination and a post-mortem were being undertaken on Tuesday.

The Waikato Herald attended the scene at Aparangi Retirement Village and saw two police vehicles, detectives, and a forensics team.

Police caution tape encircled the area under investigation, with a mobility scooter seen being examined at the entrance.

This week, a police spokesperson told the Waikato Herald the investigation did not identify anything to suggest the death was suspicious.

“The death has now been referred to the coroner.”

Aparangi Retirement Village chairman John Cunningham said last week it had been a sad time but that’s “part of life at a retirement village”.

“At a retirement village, the average age is a bit higher than the average population, and guess what that means? It means they’re getting closer to unfortunately shuffling off, but that’s the reality,” he said.

“It’s sad and unexpected ... but I’m not expecting any escalation.”

Cunningham said it was standard procedure to inform police of a sudden death at a retirement home, but he did not suspect foul play.

“We don’t get sudden deaths often and it is sad, but it’s not exceptional.”

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.