Police officers around New Zealand are paying their respects to slain officer Constable Matthew Hunt today. A minute's silence has been observed in honour of Hunt, who died in the line of duty last Friday morning on Reynella Drive, Massey, West Auckland.
The funeral of slain police officer Constable Matthew Hunt will be held at Eden Park.
Police are still finalising details with Hunt's family including his mother Diane and sister Eleanor but the Herald has confirmed with police it will be July 9 at Eden Park.
"We are working closely with Matt's family to assist them in any way possible," a spokesperson said.
Final plans are expected to be released closer to the service date.
Hunt's lifelong dream was to become a police officer and he started working on the front line in October 2017.
It was on that frontline - during what should have been a routine traffic stop - that he was killed.
The 28-year-old was shot multiple times in a West Auckland street on Friday, June 19, and died soon after.
Police Superintendent Naila Hassan outside the Henderson Police Station a week after police officer Matt Hunt was killed in the line of duty. Photo / Dean Purcell
Hunt's funeral has not been able to go ahead yet as family members have been in managed isolation after rushing home from overseas.
Covid-19 restrictions mean every person who comes back has to self-isolate for 14 days, which means the funeral was put on hold.
The Herald revealed last week that Diane Hunt's brother and sister-in-law flew in from Australia and were forced into self-isolation in Rotorua some 220km away from the rest of the family.
They expressed frustration and upset over the move.
A man has been charged with Hunt's murder, and the attempted murder of the second officer he allegedly shot.
He is also charged with wounding a member of the public who was hit by a car during the fracas.
He has been granted interim name suppression and was remanded in custody until his next appearance in the High Court at Auckland in July.
Hunt was raised on the Hibiscus Coast and attended Orewa College.
"It was his life-long dream to be a police officer," a statement from his family revealed.
"Before joining the police he completed a BA in criminology and worked at Auckland Prison as a case manager.
"Matthew was a person of great integrity."
Hunt graduated from Police College as part of Wing 312 in October 2017.
He spent the majority of his career working in frontline roles based out of the Orewa and Helensville stations.
Just weeks before his death he moved to work in the Waitematā Road Policing Team.
The Police Association has set up a fund to support Hunt's family, with 100 per cent of donations going directly to them.
Do you want to support the Hunt family?
If you would like to make a donation to the family of Constable Matthew Hunt, killed in the line of duty on Friday, June 19, 2020, you can deposit funds into the New Zealand Police Association Charitable Trust account 02 0500 0756808 00.
