Te Atatū homicide: Name suppression lapses for Jaykob Tutai, accused of murdering Nazia Hai

Jaykob Tutaui appears in the High Court at Auckland, charged with the murder of Nazia Hai. Photo / Michael Craig

Name suppression lapsed today for Jaykob Tutai, who is facing a murder charge following the death earlier this month of a young mother in West Auckland.

The 29-year-old Avondale resident appeared in the High Court at Auckland for the first time as defence lawyer Claire Robertson entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.

Family of Nazia Shabrine Hai, 27, who police said died following a serious incident at a Te Atatū Peninsula home early on the morning of September 11, shouted obscenities at Tutai after he appeared in court.

Tutai and Hai were known to each other, police have said previously.

Emergency responders rushed to the home around 7.15am on the day of Hai’s death. She was taken to hospital in critical condition but died as a result of her injuries, police previously said.

Nazia Hai, 27, died on September 11 following an incident at a Te Atatū Peninsula home. Jaykob Tutai has been charged with murder.

A friend of Hai’s described her as someone who had devoted her life to her 6-year-old son.

“She adored him and strived hard to provide for her son,” the friend said on a Givealittle page established to help raise money for the child. “There was nothing she wouldn’t do her son.”

The online fundraiser has so far raised just under $4000.

“Nazia’s family understandably are still in a state of shock and are mourning the loss of a sister, daughter and mother,” the friend said in an update posted on Sunday.

Police investigate the death of Nazia Hai at a Te Atatu Peninsula home on September 11.

Justice Sally Fitzgerald noted the presence of Hai’s family in court today during Tutai’s brief hearing. They sat directly behind the dock where Tutai stood.

“You b****!” one woman yelled as Tutai was led out of the courtroom at the end of the hearing. “”F*** you!”

A trial date has been set for October next year.

Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.