Ariki Rigby case: Name suppression lifted for accused

Two men, one accused of murdering an 18-year-old woman found in a burned-out car in Hawke's Bay, can now be named.

Jimmy Heremaia, 32, an orchard worker from Auckland, has been charged with the murder of Ariki Rigby and arson. 

Ropine Paul, 29, a labourer from Havelock North, is charged with being party to arson.

Rigby's body was found in a dark grey Toyota Corona in River Road Reserve near Havelock North in September 2022.

She had been on an unplanned holiday to see her father and stepmother.

In a judgment today, Justice Paul Radich said he was not convinced by the defence argument that naming the pair would risk a fair trial or endanger their safety.

The court can grant name suppression in circumstances where publication is likely to cause extreme hardship, endanger the safety of any person, or create a real risk of prejudice to a fair trial.

Justice Radich said the threshold was high and it had not been met in this case.

Heremia and Paul will stand trial at the High Court in Napier on November 3 next year. The case is set down for three weeks.

When Rigby died, police failed to realise there was a dead body in the burned-out car when they first checked on it.

Officers went to the car after a caller told police on September 3 in 2022 they thought they had seen the body of an animal on the floor in the back of the vehicle. The body was not discovered until September 5.

The public gallery was packed with family members at the High Court in Napier earlier this month, when a trial date was decided. 

Justice Karen Grau, at the time, asked them to be respectful of the court process.

"Emotions are very raw, but I will ask you to be calm."

At the time of Rigby's funeral, a family spokesperson said she was a beautiful, passionate person, who lived life at "full throttle".

Heremaia, who had been living in Hawke's Bay at the time of  the woman's death, was arrested in Favona, South Auckland, in September this year, following a plea from Rigby's family for further information.

"She had her whole life ahead of her and was taken from us far too soon," they said in a statement delivered two years after her death.

"Ariki would have turned 21 later this month and instead of celebrating with her, we are left holding onto the memory of our beautiful girl who we wish dearly was still with us today."

Paul was arrested by Hastings police earlier this month.