“Vibrant and cherished” student dies following tragic accident at Alpine Ice Sports Centre

Chris Lynch
Chris Lynch
Aug 01, 2024 |

A 13-year-old girl who sustained “unsurvivable” injuries passed away, her school announced.

The accident happened at Alpine Ice Sports Centre in Christchurch on Tuesday, where Kymani Hiley-Hetaraka fell and sustained a head injury.

Haeata Community Campus Principal Peggy Burrows said in a statement on Thursday, “It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Kymani Hiley-Hetaraka, a beloved member of our school community.

“Kymani was a vibrant and cherished ākonga who touched the lives of many with her kindness, aroha, and beautiful spirit. We understand that many of you will be affected by this tragedy.

“Any support or counselling you feel might help you process this is available from our Hauora team, so please don’t hesitate to ask and reach out if you need to.

“It is important at this time that we support each other and take care of each other.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Hiley-Hetaraka whānau at this time.”Aunt Joanne Tusa told Chris Lynch Media that a Givealittle page had been set up to alleviate the additional stress her parents would have to endure in the days ahead.
“We appreciate every message of love and support that the community has given us,” she said on Wednesday.
“There have been so many lovely messages and support, and we understand the whole of Christchurch wants to know what happened.”

WorkSafe said it had “opened an investigation into the incident at Alpine Ice in Christchurch, and extends its sympathy to the victim’s whānau.

“Students should be able to participate safely, and parents and whānau must have confidence their rangatahi will be kept safe.

Our investigation will consider the circumstances of the incident, and what policies and procedures the business had in place for risk management.”

Chris Lynch
Chris Lynch

Chris Lynch is a journalist, videographer and content producer, broadcasting from his independent news and production company in Christchurch, New Zealand. If you have a news tip or are interested in video content, email [email protected]

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