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The family of one of two New Zealanders killed in a Queensland family tragedy says he was a generous and positive man.
Former Nelson man Anthony Way, 33, died yesterday on the Gold Coast in Australia.
He was stabbed, along with his partner Tania Simpson, in a unit at Robina on the Gold Coast.
Ms Simpson's daughter Kayla Rogers, 5, had been reported missing at the weekend, and her body was found last night with that of her father - Paul Anthony Rogers, who is believed to be from Hamilton.
The two were found in a car just outside the New South Wales town of Casino.
Mr Way - who was known by many of his friends as 'Ant' - grew up in Nelson, attending St Joseph's Primary School and Nelson College.
He left New Zealand eight years ago and has been working in Australia as a renderer.
His family described him as an avid gym-goer and a keen rugby player.
"Ant was one of those charismatic guys with an X-factor who drew people to him. He had a sharp sense of humour and would give you the shirt off his back. He was generous, positive and had the most captivating smile."
He is survived by his parents and elder brother, who live in Nelson and Blenheim.
The family plans to hold a memorial service on the Gold Coast, followed by a funeral in Nelson. The details of the Nelson service are yet to be finalised.
Detective Acting Superintendent Tim Trezise said it is a tragic case for all involved.
"A number of the families are residents of New Zealand and we are liasing closely with the New Zealand police in relation to providing all the support we can to the families that are in New Zealand."
Detective Acting Superintendent Trezise said Ms Simpson and Mr Rogers' relationship ended suddenly seven months ago.
"They had been making plans to marry. I understand even wedding invitations had been sent out.
They'd been together some eight years. But unfortunately the relationship broke down prior to the wedding."
News.com.au said Kayla had celebrated her fifth birthday the day before her abduction.
Media reports say Rogers was also found in the 2006 model silver-coloured Holden Viva.
New South Wales police are investigating whether he ingested some form of poison before he gassed them both in a car.
They said the exhaust pipe of the car was connected by a hose to the vehicle's interior and early reports show Kayla and Rogers died from carbon monoxide gassing.
The local area commander at Richmond in northern NSW, Superintendent Greg Martin, would not say whether Rogers left a note before dying in the car with his daughter.
"It's probably improper that I flush out all of the details of the investigation through the media when it's the coroner that should be finding all this out first," Supt Martin told AAP.
But he said Kayla would most certainly have died first.
He would not rule out reports that Rogers had poisoned himself by some additional means, before connecting the vehicle's exhaust pipe to the inside of the car.
Police initially believed two children were missing from the Robina unit, but a baby boy was later found safe and well after spending the night with his grandparents.
The Gold Coast Bulletin reported Deanne Scott, who lives next door to the scene of the murder, was stunned.
"I know some people heard screaming, we didn't hear a thing,'' she said.
"This is a quiet neighbourhood, things like this shouldn't happen."
Tania had only been in the unit a couple of weeks, moving from NSW for a fresh start with her two children.
Her daughter is dead but her 20-month-old son was safe after spending the night with his grandparents.
"They seemed really nice," Ms Scott told the Bulletin.
"I spoke to him in the hall a few times and he seemed like a great guy."
Ms Scott returned home from work yesterday afternoon to find her home a crime scene.
News Ltd says Ms Simpson had only recently moved into the apartment with her two children and was managing the block of units.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the New Zealand Consulate General in Sydney will be offering assistance to the families involved
- Herald Online staff and AAP
