Car fumes killed Ashburton family

The woman and children found dead in an Ashburton house on Thursday have been identified by police.

Cindy George died with her children, Pio Scarlet Jetejura Raukete, 5, Teuruaa Junior George, 3, and Telyzshaun Gordon Ricardo Nelder Kruz George, 2.

Three hearses left the Thomson St property yesterday afternoon. A line of police officers in uniform removed their hats and bowed their heads as the vehicles drove past in procession.

Family members, accompanied by a police officer, left the property showing obvious signs of distress.

Police are treating the deaths as accidental. District Commander John Price said police believed that gas caused the deaths. A car was believed to have been running in a garage with internal access to the house, he said, and that door was open when police arrived.

A team of 30 is working on the investigation.

Ms George, who was born in the Cook Islands, moved to Ashburton about five years ago to work.

She is believed to have close family in Australia who are making arrangements to get to Ashburton.

Maggie Toka was Ms George's best friend in the Cook Islands, where the pair lived next door to each other. Ms Toka now lives in Auckland. The pair had lost contact for many years but reconnected last year when Ms Toka heard Ms George had moved to New Zealand.

"She would have been 32 this year, we are the same age. She was my best friend at kindy and through primary school," Ms Toka said.

"I'm in tears and very shocked this has happened to my dear friend. We are having a class reunion at the end of the year where we were going to reunite with our old friends - she was supposed to be there ..."

A relative of Ms Toka's was in Christchurch for a wedding and had gone with others to visit Ms George. "When they walked in, they saw the body," she said.

Ms George had five children. Her three youngest lived with her and the other two were understood to be living in the Cook Islands with family.

"She came here for a better life for her children ... she loved it here. I tried to get her to come and live in Auckland but she always said no, she loved it down there [in Ashburton]."

Tributes flowed on social media from family and friends, many of whom heard news of the deaths via it.

It is understood Ms George was separated from the children's father, who also lived in Ashburton. NZ Herald, Additional reporting Ashburton Guardian