Witness describes discarding of weapons during Wairarapa shooting trial
Monday 28 September 2026 · 4 outlets · 5 reports · updated 
A witness testified that occupants of a vehicle dumped drugs and firearms while she attempted to stop the bleeding of Doreion Hard. Hard was fatally shot in a Wairarapa supermarket car park last year. Pelikani Taukei’aho and Tauave Rodney Sue both deny the murder charge.
Key facts
4 facts
- The shooting occurred in March 2025 in a Featherston supermarket car park
- Doreion Peri Ropata Hard died from a gunshot wound to the back
- Pelikani Taukei’aho and Tauave Sue deny murder charges
- The trial is being held at the High Court in Wellington
The full story
1 min read · 2 outlets
A woman gave evidence in the Wellington High Court regarding the fatal shooting of Doreion Peri Ropata Hard in a Featherston supermarket car park in March 2025. Pelikani Taukei’aho and Tauave Sue both deny murdering Hard, who was shot in the back. Taukei’aho is charged as the principal offender and Sue as a party to the murder.
The Crown alleges the shooting occurred after a drug deal involving cocaine went wrong. The witness, who was in a red ute, said Hard and an associate approached a grey Holden Cruze and opened its doors. She described a chaotic scene involving yelling and suspected one man hit an occupant of the Holden.
Seconds after the men returned to the ute, a window shattered and a loud bang was heard. Hard told the witness he believed he had been shot. The witness stated she tried to find the wound to stop the bleeding while other passengers focused on hiding items.
As the vehicle fled, passengers reportedly dumped firearms and backpacks under grass near a tree. The witness also found a gun on the floor of the ute, which was thrown out before an intersection. The vehicle eventually stopped in Carterton where an ambulance was called, but Hard died from his injuries.
Where reports differ
- One report states the shooting happened in March last year, while another specifies the date as 22 March 2025
- One report describes the victim's associate as carrying a pistol, while another describes a witness seeing a man tuck a firearm into his waistband
Compiled from reports by NZ Herald and Stuff.