The man who was fatally stabbed on an Auckland street in broad daylight can now be named for the first time.
Police say Star Fetu Peretiso Sami was on Holbrook Street in Blockhouse Bay on August 22 when there was what police described as a "violent altercation" and he was stabbed.
He got into a car and was driven a short distance to a bus stop where an ambulance was called but died the following day in hospital.
Police went to the Coroner and applied for Sami's name and gang affiliation to be suppressed.
That application was supported and continued by Sami's family who sought privacy after receiving abuse on social media.
Coroner Rachael Schmidt-McCleave, acting as the national duty coroner, granted an interim non-publication order prohibiting publication of the man's identity as well as the gang they were associated with.
Media were not informed of the application, which was granted on August 25 in chambers on the papers, or given an opportunity to oppose the non-publication order.
However, after allowing various media organisations including RNZ to respond, Coroner Janet Anderson found the case did not meet the threshold to continue suppression.
The Coroner heard an impassioned plea from Sami's family for the suppression orders to continue. They pointed to receiving abuse on social media platforms and stressed that Sami was much more than a gang member.
"No one should receive unpleasant or offensive messages through social media," Coroner Anderson said in her decision released on Wednesday.
"However, generally speaking it has been recognised that, 'the court is not the arbiter of social media standards'."
Dr Saleimoa Bill Sami, an uncle of Star Sami, issued a response to the Coroner following her decision to lift the suppression order.
"As the restrictions now come to an end, our hope is simply that those who choose to report on Star do so with accuracy, fairness, balance and appropriate consideration for those experiencing trauma and grief.
"We also hope that reporting does not create an implication that Star's death was gang-motivated when police have expressly advised that there is presently no evidence of that."
The family said Star Sami was much more than the circumstances of his death.
"He was our son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, father and friend. We will continue to uphold his mana and awhi the whānau he has left behind as best we can."
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