A woman says she is "so mad and hurt" after her family members' roadside memorial was vandalised in Auckland's Papakura over the weekend.
In a post online, Maraea Kahui said she had spent a lot of time "keeping the area looking nice" and tending to the site on Great South Rd where two members of her family died in a crash just after midnight on November 24, 2024.
Sisters Aria-Sativa Kapene, 24, and her younger sister Crystal-Alizae Emery, 19, died when Carl Edward John Reti, who had been drinking, crashed into the back of their car while going 128km/h.
Kapene's partner, Kimiora Taumanako Hancy, 34, survived but was seriously injured.
Kahui – the girls' sister-in-law – shared an image taken of the memorial site on January 9 adorned with crosses and a small fence surrounding it, with flowers hanging in the tree next to it.
She said in her online post that at some point on Saturday, January 10 the crosses were stolen, the lights and small fence around the memorial broken, and the tree was covered in pink spray paint.
Kahui said the family noticed the damage on Sunday, January 11 and made a report.
"Monday 12th someone came back to the site and spray painted everything pink... [including] the white rocks on the ground and everything on the tree."
She said she returned to the site yesterday to put everything "back to how it should be", including replacing the crosses and repairing the small fence and flowers.
"Sadly I have to wait for my baby sissys plaques to be remade," she said.
"If you are the person or knows anyone who stole and vandalised my baby sissys crash site be warn you will get what's coming to you that's such a TAPU move... I'm so mad and hurt for my baby sissys."
People on social media were shocked to read about the vandalism, with many passing on their condolences and lambasting the "disrespect" shown.
"Such a senseless and cruel thing to do," one person commented.
Another said: "It doesn't matter that it's not an official grave, it's the last place the people were alive and should be respected on that basis alone. It's hurtful to family and friends and should just be left alone. What a hateful thing to do."
Kahui and police have been approached for comment.
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