This month, Kristeena Rose Kumeroa, 30, was sentenced in the Gore District Court to 60 hours’ community work for careless driving causing the death of her son, Malakai Kumeroa-Philp.
On New Year’s Day 2025, the woman was reversing her car to plug a gap in a makeshift play area she had 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.
This week, she told the Otago Daily Times she felt relieved the process had come to an end.
‘‘I think that after court I actually let him rest in peace.’’
But the anguish she felt over her son’s death had given her a ‘‘lifelong sentence’’.
‘‘I live with that regret of my decision-making every day.
‘‘And I pay that lifelong consequence,’’ she said.
‘‘It was an honest mistake that took the life of my own son.
‘‘I live with that guilt.’’
Although she was the defendant she said she felt the same pain as the rest of the boy’s whānau.
‘‘Every [victim impact] statement that was read out in court, I felt that 10 times worse than anyone else.’’
The only person Miss Kumeroa wanted to be forgiven by was Malakai.
‘‘I know that he knows it was a mistake,’’ she said.
‘‘I know I am to blame, but I know my baby wouldn’t be wanting me to be miserable and to hate myself.’’
Miss Kumeroa missed Malakai’s cheekiness, his laugh and ‘‘beautiful smile’’.
‘‘You are my first and last memory every day.’’ she said.
‘‘I miss you so much and love you even more.’’
She visited Malakai’s grave every day she could because she did not want him to feel alone.
‘‘I karakia. I talked to him.
‘‘I had picnics up by him, I would cry.
‘‘I would go and vent to him [about] how sorry I was,’’ she said.
Butterflies, bumblebees and fantails were ‘‘little signs’’ or ‘‘visits’’ from her son, she said.
Earlier this month, Malakai’s father said the sentence was light and he did not feel Malakai got the justice he deserved.
Miss Kumeroa was also surprised by the small amount of community work she was sentenced to, but felt the backlash was an ‘‘attack’’ on her.
‘‘That whole family wanted me to go to jail,’’ she said.
‘‘I don’t understand why I need to pay any more consequences when I’m paying for it.
‘‘I still am,and no amount of apology will ever bring him back.’’
Miss Kumeroa knew her son was now ‘‘in heaven with our other angels, shining and watching over us all’’ and his memory would live on forever.
‘‘We just want to move forward, not move on, but just move forward and honour our boy that’s in heaven, not disgrace him or disgust him, just let him rest in peace.’’
