$5k from girl’s family on ice
Rape donation cash given to NZ awaits use for playground
Money donated toward playground equipment by the family of a little girl raped in a campground more than seven years ago is still languishing unused in a bank account.
The Europe-based family of the girl, who was 5 at the time of the assault at a Tu¯rangi campground in December 2011, donated $5000 of the money raised for them after the shocking attack on their daughter.
The girl was asleep next to her younger brother in a caravan at the then Club Habitat campground when she was attacked by a drunk stranger, 16-year-old Raurangi Mark Marino.
The assault provoked an outpouring of national shame and New Zealanders donated gifts and money totalling $62,000 to the family.
After their daughter was discharged from hospital and before they left the country, the family donated $20,000 of the money to several organisations including $5000 to Taupo¯ District Council to go toward playground equipment in Tu¯rangi.
The rest of the money was donated to paediatric surgical instruments and items for the children’s ward at Waikato Hospital, as well as support for ECPAT Child Alert NZ Ltd and Victim Support Hamilton.
However, the $5000 given to the council has not yet been used.
Taupo¯ District Council chief executive Gareth Green said the money had been tagged for a playground upgrade in Tu¯rangi and was “sitting in a suspense account until the project goes ahead”.
Green said there had not been a playground upgrade in Tu¯ rangi since the council received the donation.
“We have been working closely with [Nga¯ti] Tu¯wharetoa hapu¯ [Nga¯ti] Tu¯ rangitukua on developing a management plan for all the reserves in Tu¯rangi, which they own following their Treaty settlement,” Green said.
“That includes development of a playground at Te Kapua Park which is planned to [begin] in the next financial year. At that time, we will use the donation as the family intended.”
Green said the council’s contact with the family had broken down over the years.
“Our contact with the family was through a conduit at the Waikato District Health Board who no longer works there and we do not have the family’s contact details.
“If anyone does know how to contact them we would be pleased to touch base.”
Tu¯rangi-Tongariro Residents and Ratepayers Association chairwoman Sandra Greenslade was unaware of the donation.
“It sounds to me like it’s been forgotten. That’s very sad because when a family donates like that . . . they don’t want to be acknowledged anywhere. They just want to know it’s gone to the children of the town.”
The Tu¯rangi Reserves Management Plan, which includes Te Kapua Park, was initiated in March 2016 under the Tu¯ rangi Reserves Management Committee.
However, at a workshop held by the committee last March and following public consultation on the plan, it was agreed to put it on hold “until discussions had been held”.
Committee co-chairman Tangonui Kingi said that was still the case and that he couldn’t comment on the donation but confirmed the playground was earmarked in the next financial year.
Nga¯ti Tu¯rangitukua have since agreed to look at the playground upgrade outside of the wider reserves management plan development.
The victim, who would be 13 now, and her family were unable to be contacted by the
Meanwhile Marino, now 23, is still behind bars after he was sentenced in 2012 to 10 years for burglary, sexual violation by rape and causing grievous bodily harm.