Rosemary Margaret Ives, the victim of a fatal shooting on
Friday night. Credit:NZPA / NZ Police
Police have named the woman who was shot dead on a
central North Island camping holiday by a hunter who thought
she was a deer.
The woman was Rosemary Margaret Ives, a 25-year-old secondary
school teacher from Lower Hutt.
Ms Ives was reportedly brushing her teeth in a remote area of
bush near Turangi when she was shot by the hunter.
Her partner and other campers spent 90 minutes trying to keep
her alive in a remote area of bush near Turangi, rescue
helicopter pilot Hendry De Waal told the Herald on
Sunday newspaper.
A 25-year-old Hamilton man was charged with careless use of a
firearm and will appear in Taupo District Court on November
3.
The newspaper said it understood he shot her from the road
alongside the camp site, after seeing her in his spotlight
and thinking she was a deer or possum.
She died metres from her tent in the Department of
Conservation campsite on Kaimanawa Rd.
Ms Ives and her partner were camping alongside four trampers
from Wellington and four backpackers from the Czech Republic.
After the shooting the hunters ran to the nearby campsite for
help. A man there who rushed to help the woman aid the scene
was "ghastly".
The woman's partner was severely shaken up.
New Zealand Deer Stalkers Association spokesman Alec McIver
said it was crucial for hunters to identify their target.
"If you can't identify it totally, then don't shoot, just
move on to the next one."
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