Family grieve 'idol' dad

Michael Leslie Meehan. Photo / Supplied

The Son of a duck hunter fatally shot by a family member said he felt "an indescribable emptiness" when told of his father's death.

Michael Leslie Meehan, 47, was killed while hunting in Waiohiki, southwest of Napier, with his brother, Rhys, and another, unnamed, family member last Saturday morning, the opening day of the duck hunting season.

His eldest son, Bronson, told hundreds of mourners at Meehan's funeral on Friday that "life would never be the same again".

The promising cricketer said his father told him he loved him every day when he came to say goodnight.

"The first night he was gone, I thought I heard the door open and it had all been a bad dream."

Bronson said he would miss his father watching him play cricket "especially the words 'I am so proud of you'.

"I'll keep making you proud, Dad," he said.

Bronson added that his younger brother, Zeb, and their father were "the best of mates, Zeb lived in his back pocket".

Zeb told the funeral: "Dad, you were my idol, hunting buddy and my best mate."

Bronson had been playing golf on the morning of Meehan's death. He wanted to finish early and surprise his father by arriving for a night shoot but was too late.

Rhys said the hunting trip was a regular event and he was only 500m from his brother when he was shot.

"It's something we do every year and he was a very, very experienced shooter."

Detective Senior Sergeant Nick Reid, of Napier CIB, said it would be "some weeks" before a decision was made on whether to charge the shooter.

Meehan's death had been reported to the coroner.

Meehan had been with his partner, Cherie, for 27 years.

The eldest of three children, he grew up in Napier and worked at a tannery for 20 years before joining the city council, where he had been a gardener for 10 years.

His funeral heard he loved working outdoors, rugby and was an exceptional darts player.

"He was a man who inspired, was honest, generous, the best father anyone could ever ask for," said Bronson.

One workmate said Meehan was the best colleague he had ever had.

"As a family man Mike was hard to beat, maybe impossible to beat."