Charges laid nearly a decade after Alestra Kepa-Hati's death

Another Māori child is dead, and again, two adults are in court charged with child neglect. Her name was Alestra Kepa-Hati. She was four years old when she died in Kaikohe in 2015. Now, almost a decade later, a 60-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman have been arrested and charged with four counts of child neglect. Three of those charges relate to Alestra, and one to another child.

According to Police, Alestra had suffered a broken arm, a broken pelvis, and two separate head injuries in the weeks before her death. Let that sink in. This was not a one-off injury. This was sustained abuse. Yet for years, there was silence. And now, only in 2025, are people finally facing the courts.

This case is tragic, but it’s not uncommon. Time and again, we see cases like this coming out of communities in places like Kaikohe, Kaitaia, and Kawerau. And more often than not, it’s Māori children who are suffering and dying at the hands of Māori adults.

Nobody wants to say it out loud, but we have a crisis. The left are quick to scream racism when someone dares to mention it, but how much longer are we going to pretend that this isn’t happening? How many more Māori children have to end up in body bags before we’re allowed to have an honest conversation?

At times it genuinely feels like some of these parents treat children as meal tickets. More kids, more money from the benefit. Meanwhile, those same kids are being beaten, neglected, starved, and in the worst cases, killed. Where is the outrage from the Iwi? Where are the marches for Alestra? Where is the haka for her broken little body? I guess Toitu Te Tiriti is more important than children dying in this country to some people

.

Police have thanked those in the community who came forward to help with the investigation. That’s commendable. We have to go further. We need to stop protecting abusers in our whānau. We need to stop making excuses. And we need to stop pretending this is anything other than a deep rot within parts of Māori society that no government policy alone can fix.

Alestra Kepa-Hati deserved better. Every child does. But as long as we keep prioritising political correctness over truth, nothing will change and the body count will keep growing.

As a special thank you to all my loyal readers and supporters, I’m offering 50% off subscriptions for today only. Whether you’ve been following my work for a while or just recently discovered it, now’s the perfect time to jump in and unlock full access to everything I post, including exclusive content, deep dives, and sharp commentary you won’t find anywhere else.

This offer won’t last. It’s available until midnight tonight, no extensions. Head over to matuakahurangi.com/halfprice to take advantage of the offer or click the button below.