Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Teen killer Haami Hanara's father admits hiding son from police

Hawkes Bay Today
24 Mar, 2019 09:47 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Father of Haami Hanara pleads guilty to perverting course of Justice after hiding his son in March last year. Photo / File.

Father of Haami Hanara pleads guilty to perverting course of Justice after hiding his son in March last year. Photo / File.

Witerangi Hanara told police and social workers he didn't know where his 14-year-old son was after the teen stabbed Flaxmere man Kelly Donner last year.

But he was hiding him all along.

Hanara, 43, pleaded guilty in the Napier District Court before Judge Geoff Rea this morning to perverting the course of Justice.

His son, Haami Hanara, now 15, was found guilty of fatally stabbing Kelly Donner, 40, on March 4 last year in Flaxmere.

Four other youths were also charged for their involvement in the attack, by hurling bottles, rocks, concrete and a bicycle at Donner before his death.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Shrine behind Flaxmere Tavern for Kelly Donner. Photo / Warren Buckland.
Shrine behind Flaxmere Tavern for Kelly Donner. Photo / Warren Buckland.

After Donner's death, Witerangi Hanara stopped police from arresting him by keeping him hidden at associates' houses.

He told both police and social workers that he didn't know his son's whereabouts, telling them he was also searching for him.

On March 17, Hanara moved his son to a rural location near Whanganui and attended a
21st birthday party at Atene marae where photos were taken of the pair.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Hanara attended the court appearances of Haami's co-offenders and continued to tell Orangi Tamariki that his son had not been found.

He contacted police on March 27 expressing concern for his son's disappearance, saying he thought someone from Donner's family might have killed him.

On April 6, 2018, Haami Hanara was located by police, arrested and charged with Donner's murder.

Kelly Alex Donner was found dead on the green outside the Flax Bar and Eatery in Swansea Rd, next to the Flaxmere Village Shopping Centre, on March 4 last year. Photo / Supplied
Kelly Alex Donner was found dead on the green outside the Flax Bar and Eatery in Swansea Rd, next to the Flaxmere Village Shopping Centre, on March 4 last year. Photo / Supplied

Haami was found guilty of murder after stabbing Donner four times, the fatal blow plunging into his carotid artery causing his death.

Discover more

New Zealand|crime

'He's gone and still can't rest in peace': Outrage as murder victim's memorial torched

10 Apr 06:00 PM

He was handed down a sentence with a minimum non-parole period of 10 years.

His father was found outside Hastings Court on May 3, charged with perverting the course of Justice.

He will be sentenced on May 10 at the Napier District Court.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Premium
Editorial

Editorial: Coronial inquest into deaths in flooding will hurt - hopefully it will also help

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Hawkes Bay Today

'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

07 Jul 04:25 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

‘He’s smooth. He’s a practised thief’: Former club CEO had a secret criminal past

07 Jul 04:10 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Premium
Editorial: Coronial inquest into deaths in flooding will hurt - hopefully it will also help

Editorial: Coronial inquest into deaths in flooding will hurt - hopefully it will also help

07 Jul 05:00 PM

OPINION: 19 lives are thought to have been lost in the immediate and long-term aftermath.

'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

07 Jul 04:25 AM
‘He’s smooth. He’s a practised thief’: Former club CEO had a secret criminal past

‘He’s smooth. He’s a practised thief’: Former club CEO had a secret criminal past

07 Jul 04:10 AM
One lane reopens after diesel spill on Napier-Taupō road

One lane reopens after diesel spill on Napier-Taupō road

07 Jul 04:03 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP