More arrests possible in abuse investigation

Police yesterday arrested a second relative of a dead Wairarapa toddler and say further arrests are possible for assaults on children in the toddler's family.

Inquiry head Inspector Rod Drew said the incidents were not linked to Hinewaoriki Karaitiana-Matiaha's death.

"We have had other allegations of assault reported to us, various incidents, and we are investigating those," he said.

"If, at the end of those investigations, we believe an offence has been committed, we will take further action."

Inquiries continued yesterday into the death of Hinewaoriki, whose bashed, scalded and sexually violated body was taken to Masterton Hospital by family members on July 23.

Police yesterday arrested a 27-year-old Carterton woman and charged her with assaulting a child - not Hinewaoriki - in March.

Mr Drew said the woman was a relative of Hinewaoriki.

Another relative, Rachaelle Patricia Namana, aged 28, was on Tuesday remanded without plea on a charge of assaulting Hinewaoriki in an incident in June unrelated to the toddler's death. She will reappear in court next month.

Mr Drew said the allegations of assaults on other children involved "the same group of people."

He said the homicide inquiry was progressing well.

Police had continued interviewing people and were evaluating the results of inquiries at the places where Hinewaoriki spent her last days. These included a Carterton home and a kohanga reo.

At the kohanga reo, police found blood spots and blood-spattered clothing, some of which was worn by Hinewaoriki.

Mr Drew said inquiries could continue for several weeks.

"Someone could knock on my door and walk in now and finish it just like that by telling me the right things, but short of that we've got a lot of analysis to do now; a lot of results to pull together."

- NZPA