and Annabelle Lee-Mather
Four months after Joanna Sione-Lauaki's body was found on a Northland beach, her whānau still doesn't know how she was killed.
Not having the results of the post-mortem, let alone any idea who was responsible, is compounding their grief and frustration as they face their first Christmas without the Dargaville mother-of-eight.
They feel they have been let down by the police.
"One hundred percent," said one of Jo's daughters, Shana.
"We feel like they have been holding back on information … and we just think that's unfair," Shana said. "We were so angry with how they were treating us."
Joana's sisters with some of her tamariki. Photo: Irene Maton Photography
Mata Reports has investigated the unsolved murder, and spent time with the whānau which has had to deal with rumours, innuendo and speculation.
They want to shut down the rumours, to tell Aotearoa what she meant to them, and to see justice for Jo.
"I feel completely ripped off, I used to be a man of faith and I don't speak to him no more," said Jo's husband, Jared - a prize-winning dairy farm worker.
"As a father, I'm always on guard, everyone's the enemy, everyone's after us."
Police declined Mata's requests for an interview, saying they didn't want to jeopardise the inquiry.
A spokesperson said the investigation was ongoing and called for anyone who had any information to come forward.
Joanna Sione-Lauaki's daughters Sharney Panapa, Haminy Panapa and Jashana Sione Lauaki. Photo: Aotearoa Media Collective
Jo, aged 38, went missing on 1 August, after telling Jared she was going to the beach.
The next morning, her whereabouts was a mystery. But in their hearts, Jared and the children knew something must have happened to her.
"We know our Mum and she's not a person to do something to herself," Sharney said.
"If she's having a bad day, she's somebody who talks to us. So, we knew something had happened, someone had done something that night."
Their worst fears were confirmed when a member of the public found her body on a beach she and the family didn't usually visit, between Omamari and Aranga, north of Dargaville.
Police later announced she was the victim of foul play.
"Mum was in the wrong place at the wrong time and someone took advantage of that and took away our mum, and everyone's sissy and aunty and cousin," daughter Shana said.
Jared said: "She was my reason for getting out of bed, her and the kids. She brought a lot to the table, and the table's gone."
The night she went missing, Jo told Jared she was going to the beach while he headed to bed early. With an early start in the cow shed, Jared needed to get to sleep, so he flicked his phone onto airplane mode, something he often did.
"It became a habit just before I dozed off to flick it down," Jared said.
In the morning, when he turned his phone back on there was a one-word text from Jo: "Help."
He started trying to get hold of her, but with a herd of cows to milk, he initially went to work.
"I was distracted, obviously, and kept trying to make contact throughout milking. went home for breakfast break, kept trying, and then returned back to work and just said to my boss, 'Something's not right'."
With one of his daughters, he went to a beach he and Jo regularly went to, to see if they could find any sign of her.
But there was nothing. He instinctively knew something was seriously wrong so he went to the police station to report her missing.
That afternoon, her body was found. Several items of clothing were missing, including a white Nike t-shirt with a red tick, tracksuit pants, and Adidas scuffs.
Jared said initially, the police were good towards the family.
But as time went on, he believes they have treated him like a suspect, he said.
Joana Sione-Lauaki and husband Jared. Photo: Aotearoa Media Collective
Furthermore, his connection to the Black Power has fuelled rumours and gossip, something which has hurt their children.
"People may think it's our dad but we can 100 percent tell you that it's not," Sharney said.
"Because of who is, it doesn't change him and doesn't make any difference to the pain he's going through."
Daughter Jashana said: "My dad's grieving and it's not nice to hear people."
"Those that know me knew that, no matter what happened, I'd be there for my wife," Jared said.
The rumours, the pain, and the feeling that he's being treated like a suspect have taken their toll on Jared.
All the while, he's having to cope with the loss of his wife, the woman he loved for 21 years.
"Jo was the best mum in the world, bubbly as, had a laugh that you could hear a mile away," he said. "But for me, it was her eyes, just big, beautiful brown, sparkly eyes. And that's what
I fell in love with."
One of Jo's friends, Ani Ripia, recalls how the whānau's home was always bursting with joy.
"They were always laughing, and their children always came before themselves," Ani said.
"It was actually quite funny to see because I'd be like, 'My goodness, so many tamariki'. But they made it look easy."
Daughter Shana said it was Jo who would keep things running.
"She always got everything sorted," she said. "So now it's a different dynamic when we don't have the main lady behind the scenes."
If you have any information that could help, please contact police here or call 105. Please use the reference number 240803/9062. Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
- Mata is made with the help of Te Māngai Pāho and NZ on Air
