Paige Tutemahurangi was allegedly murdered by a man in Hamilton after an incident in the city on Saturday. Photo / LinkedIn
A woman allegedly murdered this week was a “beam of sunshine” with a great future ahead of her.
Paige Tutemahurangi suffered critical injuries after an incident at a Kahikatea Dr property in Hamilton on Saturday.
As a result of the injuries, she died in Waikato Hospital on Monday.
Tutemahurangi was employed as an executive officer at Ruapehu District Council and her sudden death had left her colleagues distraught.
Council spokesperson Clive Manley told NZME “huge sadness” swept around the council when they heard the news.
“Paige was a beam of sunshine and was always positive,” he said.
“We saw Paige grow both professionally and confidently within herself.
“She had a great future and will be sadly missed.”
According to her LinkedIn page, she had worked at the council for four years.
Meanwhile, a 25-year-old man didn’t seek bail when he appeared in the Hamilton District Court this morning on a murder charge.
The man successfully sought interim name suppression through his counsel, Kerry Burroughs.
He was originally charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, but that was withdrawn by police and upgraded to murder at the hearing.
Judge Gordon Matenga remanded the accused, who stood with his head down throughout proceedings, into custody without a plea.
He will reappear in the High Court at Hamilton on July 25.
Belinda Feek has been a reporter for 19 years, and at the Herald for eight years before joining the Open Justice team in 2022.
Detectives flew to Victoria, NSW and Queensland as part of the investigation.