Ihaka Tamihana went into the home of a Whangārei woman and pulled a gun on her, her son and their dog. Photo / 123rf
An armed intruder burst into the home of a woman who was lying on her couch and pulled a gun on her, and fired a shot near her son’s head.
The chilling moment played out almost three years ago when Ihaka Tamihana was on the hunt for drugs, which he demanded from the woman.
For the past two decades, Tamihana’s life has been a relentless cycle of prison walls and fleeting freedom.
But in a stunning turn at his latest court hearing, he expressed his desire to turn his life around for the sake of his whānau.
He also reflected upon his latest actions that landed him behind bars - the home invasion - and the regret that followed.
“I don’t wish that upon anyone,” Tamihana confessed, his voice heavy as he stood before the Whangārei District Court awaiting his sentence.
Tamihana, 38, appeared today after spending almost three years in prison custody.
He initially faced several serious charges but the Crown withdrew two leaving Tamihana to plead guilty to discharging a firearm and perverting the course of justice.
The court heard on November 19, 2021, Tamihana entered a house on Kahiwi St in Whangārei armed with a .22 rifle and approached a woman lying on the couch.
It was not known how Tamihana knew her but he aimed the gun and demanded she give him her drugs.
He continued to demand drugs as he pointed the gun at her dog.
The woman’s young adult son who was living downstairs heard the commotion and went to the living room to see what was going on.
Tamihana pointed the gun at him and fired a shot which flew past his head, through the TV and lodged in a brick wall.
He told the woman if she called the police he would be back with associates and then fled the scene.
A week later, Tamihana was on the run from police when a friend of the woman asked to meet with her.
When she arrived at the proposed location, Tamihana was inside and threatened the woman to “Recant your statements to police or I’m going to murder you and your kids ... you better do something”.
Four days, later Tamihana was arrested. But his attempts at getting to the victim did not end.
While in prison custody, an associate arrived at her house with a mobile phone.
Tamihana was on the other end of the phone, calling from prison.
The phone was passed to the woman and Tamihana said: “I don’t know what you’re going to do about your statement but if you pull it, I’ll buy you a new TV or anything you like”.
At his sentencing, Crown prosecutor Danette Cole said it was one of the worst cases of perverting the course of justice they had on file.
“Any attempt to deter the administration of justice is to be deplored,” Cole said.
Judge Gene Tomlinson engaged with Tamihana directly throughout the sentencing, which revealed since 2000, he has spent the majority of his time in prison.
Before his latest incarceration, the court heard Tamihana had gone to an addictions service twice seeking help and was working his way through the 12-step programme.
Since his relapse and time on remand, Judge Tomlinson asked “What’s different this time around?”
“My partner, my son, the fact I’m getting older. I’m glad I got put here this time around because it’s been a long time since I’ve cleared my head,” he responded.
While remanded in custody, Tamihana had connected with his Māori roots, was mentoring a kapa haka group and realised his son needed him.
“This is the first time I’ve come here and brought my family in. I’ve just always gone guilty. Sentenced. Gone.
“This is the first time I’ve asked them for help,” Tamihana said, acknowledging his whānau support in court.
Judge Tomlinson trusted Tamihana had been reawakened and was now focused on what was important.
“Whānau,” Judge Tomlinson said.
The judge told Tamihana to put himself in the victim’s shoes and consider what he would have done if someone had offended like that against his son.
“The outcome for them would have been very, very bad
“Your boy deserves their dad. Keep the changes you’re making Mr Tamihana and I want your boy to have that connection with you now.”
Tamihana was sentenced to two years and 11 months imprisonment. He will likely be released soon because of the time he has already served.
Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.
Derive McNeill has since thanked the man for working in the mental health sector.