Talented Kiwi woman dies on honeymoon after fall from horse
The young New Zealand honeymooner who died in Vanuatu had suffered critical injuries after falling from a horse.
Aucklander Joy Ramirez was on her honeymoon with husband Matt Weavers when the accident happened.
A Promedical Vanuatu spokesperson says Ramirez was riding on an island off Espiritu Santo when she came off the horse.
“She received a chin injury as well as blunt-force trauma to the abdomen region.
“She was moved by boat to the mainland and died yesterday morning.”
Family and friends are in shock at the death of the woman who ran her own media company and had written a children’s book.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the family, who have asked for their privacy to be respected.
As well as being a published author, Ramirez, who had a bachelor of communications majoring in television production from Auckland University of Technology, had worked in events, marketing, PR and sponsorship management in Auckland, Wellington and Australia.
She also had a background as a singer and songwriter and was working on developing a sequel to her first children’s book, Toot — The World’s Tiniest Whale, which was published in 2015.
NewstalkZB host Tim Roxborogh remembered the first day he met Ramirez in their communications class at AUT.
“I was amazed at how beautiful this person called Joy was. If ever somebody embodied the name their parents chose for them it was her. She was so positive, so full of possibilities, so full of joy.”
Roxborogh said that over the 17 years since they were students together they maintained a friendship and caught up a few times a year.
“If she wanted to organise bands and music tours, that’s what she did. If she wanted to work in TV, that’s what she did. If she wanted to be a published children’s author, that’s what she did.”
He said that over the years she made goals — and achieved them. He said hearing of her death was “heartbreaking” and he wanted to pass on his condolences to the family.
In an online profile Ramirez said of her book: “Toot only grows when he has the courage to jump out of his little fishbowl and follow his heart.
“For me, jumping out of my fishbowl was leaving my corporate job and learning how to write children’s stories. I threw myself in the deep end, and just gave it a go.”