Kristeena Rose Kumeroa, 30, who now can be named, was sentenced in the Gore District Court today on a charge of careless driving causing the death of Malakai Kumeroa-Philp.
About 12 family members wore black T-shirts bearing the child’s name and many wiped away tears as victim impact statements were read to the court.
Kumeroa pleaded guilty to the charge in January.
Judge Mark Williams sentenced Kumeroa to 60 hours’ community work and disqualified her from driving for 12 months.
He also told her she had given herself an emotional life sentence, as she would have to live with her son’s death for the rest of her life.
On January 1 last year, on the driveway of her home in Charlton Rd, Gore, the mother of three reversed her car to plug a gap in a makeshift play area she made for her young children.
As she looked to see where her children were, she lost her balance, and hit the accelerator, causing the car to move backwards and hit her son.
He died in hospital from his injuries several hours later.
The incident was captured on CCTV footage.
Nine victim impact statements were read to the court, noting their “uncontrollable” grief.
Reading from his statement, the toddler’s father, James Philp, said the death of his son was “in the hands” of his mother, adding “I will never forgive you for your careless action”.
Choking on his words, he said he would forever wish he could have been able to “protect my boy” from Kumeroa’s driving that day.
He said he felt helpless when he saw his son splayed on a hospital bed and picked up the “pain in his eyes”.
He said his child was “begging” for his father’s help in the moments before he died.
He had turned to alcohol “to numb the overwhelming pain”.
The final statement presented to the court was prepared by Kumeroa on behalf of her two sons and read by her counsel Roger Eagles.
It said that after the child’s tangi, one of his siblings kissed old photos of Malakai and slept with his pillow and blanket.
Crown prosecutor Mary-Jane Thomas told the court the incident was "a stupid, careless action by a mother that has had such awful consequences”.
