Death changed the law: Stepfather
The grieving stepfather of Mason Pendrous says his family have been told the University of Canterbury student died of natural causes.
“Could we have saved Mason?” stepfather Anthony Holland asked.
“Possibly not, possibly not.” The 19-year-old commerce student had been dead for nearly a month, police believe, before his body was discovered in Sonoda hall of residence on September 23.
Holland, who referred to his stepson as a “clever cookie” and a “good boy”, told TVNZ’s programme he won’t forget how long it took to find Mason.
“The time it took — I’ll take that to my grave.”
He was pleased the Education Pastoral Care Amendment Bill, which was in response to Mason’s death, had passed its first reading.
The bill includes a mandatory code of practice that universities and polytechnics will need to comply with or face stiff financial penalties. “I want this not to happen to another dad, another stepdad, another family.
“He wasn’t the young man that died alone,” Holland said.
“He was the young man that changed the law.”
Both the University of Canterbury and the accommodation provider, Campus Living Villages (CLV), are investigating the incident.
Last month Holland told media he was concerned the investigation into the teenager’s death was focused more on his personality than exactly what went wrong. “It appears to me the terms of reference should be more about the shortcomings of the university and accommodation providers rather than Mason’s personality.”