Givealittle fundraiser for family of 5-year-old Khyzah, found dead on Gisborne farm, raises over $10,000

• Khyzah, a 5-year-old non-verbal autistic boy, was discovered in a pond after a large search effort.
• A fundraiser for Khyzah’s family has raised almost $10,000.
• The Givealittle page described Khyzah as “a happy little soul” and “such a beautiful little man”.

A fundraiser for the family of 5-year-old Khyzah, who was found dead on a Gisborne farm, has raised over $10,000.

The body of the boy - who was non-verbal autistic - was discovered on Monday afternoon, just over 24 hours after he went missing on his family’s farm in the rugged and isolated community of Tiniroto.

A Givealittle page set up yesterday in memory of Khyzah said he was “a happy little soul” and “such a beautiful little man”.

“The loss of this cherished boy has left a big hole in everyone’s hearts and he will be so missed,” the page read.

The fundraising page had raised $10,517 by 6.30pm on Wednesday.

A Givealittle page set up in memoriam of 5-year-old Khyzah has raised over $10,000.

“The whānau, on top of their grief of losing their beloved boy, need to face funeral costs, and need ongoing support, whilst they navigate through this tragic event. Many people have been asking how they can help this family so this page has been set up,” the page read.

Numerous police and Search and Rescue personnel, along with hundreds of Gisborne and East Coast residents, scoured the area hoping to find Khyzah after he was reported missing on Sunday afternoon.

But those hopes were dashed when the boy’s body was discovered in a pond on the farm. It was a discovery that saw the mood at the Bushy Knoll Rd farm turn from hope to despair.

“The discovery of the little boy’s body was devastating for all those involved in the search and, of course, for his family,” search co-ordinator Detective Sergeant Wayne Beattie said.

Khyzah was reported missing on Sunday afternoon.

“There were a lot of people in tears when the news came through that he had been found.”

The family property in the wider Tiniroto area is about a 44-minute drive south of Gisborne. It’s rugged land, with creeks and ponds a common sight on farms throughout the area.

Tragically, it was one of the latter that claimed the life of Khyzah.

‘Our boy’s missing’

Khyzah’s family realised the youngster was missing mid-afternoon Sunday.

The fact Khyzah was non-verbal made the situation even more desperate.

One of his relatives - who would travel down to Tiniroto with about 20 others from the East Coast to join the search - said the boy’s father was among family members who wasted little time in visiting farms in a bid to locate Khyzah.

Khyzah’s family had previously lived on the East Coast before moving to Tiniroto.

“We all felt it in our community when we found out he was missing,” the woman said.

“Your heart sinks and you panic. I’ve got a young son, it is just a horrible thought.”

Early on Monday morning, the woman approached Cross Country Rentals asking if there was any chance they could help get a search party to Tiniroto.

The little boy was found by members of the national police dive squad, seen here searching a farm pond near the little one's home. Photo / RNZ

The company provided a 20-seat bus and a driver to get the group south.

“Times are tough [financially], but they were amazing. I rang them at about 6.05am, by 7am they had arranged to put the bus on for us.

“And it wasn’t just us from the up the Coast who had travelled down. There were many other coasties who travelled down to Tiniroto in their private cars.”

The bus had several pick-up points from Tolaga Bay, then Gisborne, before arriving at Tiniroto at about 10.45am.

Tiniroto is about 40 minutes drive south of Gisborne.

The group of about 20 then joined hundreds of others who had volunteered their time in a bid to locate the missing boy.

Many were gathered around a woolshed on the property.

“By the time we got there, we were itching to get involved and search wherever needed,” the woman said.

“We had people checking the waterways, areas which had earlier been checked. Others went straight into it going through scrub and heading towards bush.

“The feeling from everyone was that they needed to find Khyzah safe and well.

Khyzah, 5, was non-verbal autistic.

“On that farm, you had ladies with their 6-month-old babies strapped to their backs joining the search. Everyone was just doing whatever they could to find the boy.”

Khyzah’s dad was also part of the wider search party.

In the family home, the boy’s mother was surrounded by love and support; including from the boy’s grandparents, other relatives and close friends.

Despite the hopes of finding Khyzah alive, the woman who helped organise the East Coast search party said it was hard to ignore the fear that the boy wouldn’t be found alive.

“People knew [of that fear], but no one wanted to say anything,” she said.

“Sunday night had been terrible in the area. It had been cold and foggy... terrible conditions.

“On Monday, everyone just concentrated on doing all they could. And there was really nothing more we could have done.

“People searched every inch of grass; anywhere that could be searched was searched.”