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A man has been arrested for allegedly driving a four-wheel-drive into a 9-year-old boy and leaving him for dead on the ground among shredded fenceposts.
Tawhiri Moka was last night having surgery at Starship hospital after being dragged about 15m underneath a white Mitsubishi Pajero as it smashed through a fence near his Manurewa home on Wednesday afternoon.
The driver reversed away from the scene.
Faaua Faataape, 41, appeared in the Manukau District Court yesterday on charges of driving while disqualified, reckless driving causing injury and failing to stop and render assistance at the scene of an accident.
He was released on bail and is due to reappear in court early next month.
Detectives say they have been unable to substantiate claims that the boy was deliberately run over in retaliation for an incident in which the boy's friend had been cheeky to the driver's son.
No further charges are expected to be laid.
Tawhiri, who has black rubber-tyre marks across his chest and arms, suffered a range of injuries including a split liver, a heavily bruised lung, a broken leg, and ligament damage to his neck and back.
His parents remain with him at the hospital.
