# Killing of Enere Taana-McLaren

Enere Taana-McLaren was a 16-year-old Trinity Catholic College student who died on 23 May 2024 following an alleged stabbing at Dunedin's bus hub in Great King Street. A 13-year-old boy was subsequently arrested and charged with his murder on 24 May. The defendant's murder trial began on 26 February 2025. Following a three week trial, the defendant was convicted of manslaughter on 17 March 2025.
Taana-McLaren's death also drew attention to public safety concerns at Dunedin's bus hub. In response, the Dunedin City Council and Otago Regional Council launched a campaign to improve safety and security at the city's bus hub.

## Background

Enere John Jnr PoePoe Taana-McLaren was a 16-year-old student who attended Trinity Catholic College. He had also previously attended King's High School. He was of Cook Islanders descent and was born on 2 December 2007. Taana-McLaren was involved in rugby league, club rugby, Trinity College's basketball team and was also a dancer in Dunedin's Te Vaka Cook Islands community group.
On 20 March 2019, the Otago Regional Council (ORC) formally opened a new bus hub on Great King Street between Moray Place and St Andrew Street. The bus hub was built with ten bus bays, shelters, seating, toilets and bus stops with audio buttons. The Dunedin bus hub was created to centralise public transportation in the city and to ease congestion on George Street, the city's main street. By late May 2024, local leaders and commuters including Dunedin Student Council presidents Rohan O'Shea and Alice Johnston and Dunedin Secondary Principals' Association chairman and Bayfield High School principal Mark Jones had raised concerns about safety and harassment of children and young people at the Dunedin bus hub.

## The incident

On 23 May 2024, emergency services responded to a suspected stabbing incident at Dunedin's bus hub in Great King Street about 3:10 pm. Detective Senior Sergeant Kallum Croudis later confirmed that a 16-year-old boy was taken to Dunedin Hospital where he later died of his injuries in the evening. Croudis also confirmed that Police had arrested a 13-year-old male in relation to the incident. According to Stuff, the alleged stabbing incident occurred after a friend of Taana-McLaren collided with the accused at the Dunedin bus hub. The victim had intervened on his friend's behalf.
The alleged stabbing occurred opposite the Dunedin Central Police Station, which attracted social media commentary. Following the stabbing, ORC transport manager Julian Phillips confirmed that one busy stop was temporarily closed. Phillips also announced that the ORC and Dunedin City Council (DCC) would deploy security guards at the bus hub and on buses.

## Investigation

By 24 May 2024, Otago Coastal Area Commander Inspector Marty Gray confirmed that Police had completed a scene investigation on Great King Street and had launched several inquiries. A post-mortem of the murder victim was also carried out that sane day. Police also worked with Victim Support to support Taana-McLaren's family. Police also established an online portal for people to anonymously submit photos and videos of the incident for the Police investigation. Police also recovered a single knife from the crime scene, leading them to believe that the victim died as the result of a stab wound.

## Legal proceedings and trial

On 24 May 2024, a 13-year-old boy appeared in the Dunedin Youth Court where he was charged with the victim's murder. He was scheduled to appear in the Dunedin High Court on 11 June 2024. On 11 June, the defendant pleaded not guilty. He was remanded into custody until 3 July 2024. On 2 July, the defendant's lawyer applied for the defendant to be released on electronically-monitored bail and for continued interim name suppressions. Justice Lisa Preston has reserved her decision. A trial date was set for 24 February 2025.

### First week

On 26 February 2025, the now 14-year-old defendant's trial began at the Dunedin High Court, with Justice Robert Osborne presiding. A jury was empanelled, with both the Crown and defence making opening statements. The murder trial was expected to last three weeks. On the first day, Crown prosecutor Richard Smith outlined the Crown's case to a jury consisting of eight women and four men. The Crown argued that the defendant had stabbed Taana-McLaren following an altercation in the Dunedin bus hub. The stabbing caused a 10-12 cm deep wound which penetrated Taana-McLaren's muscles, stomach and spinal tissue. The victim was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries. Smith also told the jury there were inconsistencies between the defendant's testimony and CCTV footage. The Crown also played CCTV footage of the stabbing incident and the immediate aftermath.
The defendant's lawyer Anne Stevens KC told the court that the defendant had never met Taana-McLaren and was acting in self-defence when he stabbed the victim. She said that the 14-year-old defendant had suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome after experiencing a robbery in August 2023 and had carried a knife since then. Stevens argued that the defendant saw Taana-McLaren as a physical threat since the victim was bigger and older. She also argued that the victim had goaded the defendant prior to the stabbing incident. Judge Osborne also issued an order prohibiting anyone aged under 14 years from attending trial proceedings due to confronting footage and testimony.
On 27 February, the court heard testimony from a female teenage witness and Go Bus Transport driver Christopher Kitto. The teenage witness said that she heard the victim making disparaging remarks about the defendant's clothing and saw the two boys goading each other. She recalled seeing the defendant lunging at the victim. Kitto told the court that the defendant initially wanted to avoid conflict with Taana-McLaren, who verbally accosted him and was "spoiling for a fight." Kitto witnessed the defendant pulling a knife and chasing the victim across the road, resulting in a fist fight and the victim kicking the defendant in the shoulder. Bus hub security personnel and members of the public separated the defendant and the victim. Camera footage was also played showing the knife skidding through the air and hitting the road. Kitto told the court he witnessed the older boy looking at his bleeding mid-section before collapsing. Crown counsel Robin Bates cross-examined Kitto.
That same day an 18-year-old witness, who helped break up the fight, told the court that he knew both the defendant and the victim. He recalled picking up the knife used in Taana-McLaren's stabbing and throwing it towards the public toilet block to ensure that no cars ran over it and that no one else picked it up. He told the court that he restrained the defendant but released him when he saw Taana-McLaren's stab wound in his abdomen. The witness took off his hoodie and tied it around the victim's wound to slow down the bleeding. He then showed a police officer where the knife was and identified the weapon when it was brought out as an exhibit. When questioned by defence lawyer Stevens, he confirmed that the defendant matched the individual shown in footage without a black hoodie and an unmasked face.
On 28 February, the High Court heard testimony from bus hub security guard Tyler Gemmell, who testified that he heard the defendant saying "that's what you deserve" after the alleged stabbing of Taana-McLaren. When cross-examined by Stevens, he admitted that he could not remember the words exchanged between the victim and the defendant. He testified that he helped to break up the fight and described the defendant as a regular bus hub user. The court also heard testimony from a staff member at the defendant's school. The staff member told the court that the defendant had been sent home from his school earlier on 23 May 2025 after allegedly being caught vaping in the toilets and behaved in an agitated manner including allegedly throwing a chair. The school then decided to have another staff member take the defendant home.

### Second week

On 3 March 2025, the court heard evidence from Detective Constable Keith Early, who had analysed the teenage defendant's Chromebook. The defendant had messaged a friend and told him that he planned to hurt a "snitch" on 23 May 2024. On 4 March, the defendant's counsel Anne Stevens KC testified that the defendant had been carrying a knife after being diagnosed with PTSD following a robbery in August 2023. The defendant had been assaulted and robbed of his lollies and chips by three males and a female in Halfway Bush. On 5 March, the court watched audio-visual testimony of the defendant's police interview on 23 May. The defendant told Detective Shelley Dodds that Taana-McLaren had intimidated him at the Dunedin bus hub and that he had only drawn his knife in self defence. He said that the victim had demanded that he withdraw his weapon. The defendant was "extremely distressed" upon learning that the victim could die and pulled his hoodie over his face.
On 6 March, the defendant told the court that he was traumatised after being bullied at school and later being assaulted and robbed in 2023. He also told the court that he was wrongfully accused of vaping. Defence counsel Stevens also opened the defence case and argued that the defendant was acting in self defence and did not intend to kill Taana-McLaren. That same day, the prosecution played video footage of the altercation at the bus hub between the defendant and the victim. Crown prosecutor Bates also cross-examined the defendant, challenging the defence argument that he had been provoked by Taana-McLaren. Bates also questioned the defendant about text messages he had sent threatening violence against a prefect who reported on him for allegedly vaping on school grounds.
On 7 March, the court heard testimony from two witnesses who testified that Taana-McLaren had been involved in two violent altercations in the Dunedin bus hub in the months before his death. The first witness was a man in his 60s who testified that the victim had struck in him in the face in January 2024 after he told Taana-McLaren to be more respectful towards a young woman. The second witness testified that Taana-McLaren had punched him in the face, dislodging his front tooth, following a verbal exchange in February 2024. Justice Osborne told the jury that the witnesses' testimony was intended to show that the victim had a propensity towards violence but warned jurors not to conclude that he had acted violently towards the defendant in May 2024. That same day, the court heard testimony from the defendant's mother, who testified that her son had experienced bullying at school, which culminated in the Halfway Bush incident in August 2023. She said that the Halfway Bush incident had changed her son. She also disputed the school guidance counsellor's account that her son had shown no signs of agitation after being accused of vaping on 23 May last year.

### Third week

On 10 March, the court heard testimony from two forensic psychiatrists Maxwell Pankhurst and Brandon Strange, who had assessed the teenage defendant following Taana-McLaren's killing. Pankhurst had met the defendant eight times and reviewed CCTV footage and witness statements before producing his report. He argued that the victim had provoked the defendant, who responded by wielding his knife in self-defence. Pankhurst argued that the defendant had suffered PTSD after being robbed in August 2023 and had begun training in physical combat using YouTube videos and an improvised punching bag. Pankhurst also told the court that the defendant had been bullied at the start of the 2024 school year. Pankhurt also told the court that the defendant had been diagnosed with Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). Pankhurt's assessment was shared by Strange, who had met the defendant in June after he had been remanded to a Youth Justice Residence in Canterbury. Strange had diagnosed the defendant with PTSD and said that he had adopted "gangster ways" to provide safety and acceptance.
On 12 March, the defence and Crown lawyers delivered their closing arguments. Anne Stephens KC argued that the defendant had acted in self-defence against Taana-McLaren, likening their confrontation to a "David and Goliath situation." She argued that CCTV footage and bus driver Chris Kitto's testimony showed that the victim was the aggressor who was "spoiling for a fight" with the defendant. By contrast, Crown prosecutor Richard Smith disputed the defence's self-defence argument, arguing that CCTV footage showed that the defendant had instigated the fight over a perceived personal insult by the victim. He also argued that the defendant gave four inconsistent accounts of the 2023 Halfway Bush robbery incident and disputed the defendant's testimony that he did not know that such a stabbing could result in death. Smith concluded that the defendant pursued the victim with the intent of murdering him. Judge Rob Osborne summarized the case and the jury retired for the day.

### Verdict

After two days of deliberation and breaking for the weekend, the jury unanimously rejected the Crown's argument that the defendant murdered Taana-McLaren and instead convicted him of manslaughter on 17 March. While the jury did not accept the defence's self-defence argument, they agreed that the defendant did not intend to kill Taana-McLaren or display the requisite recklessness needed to prove a murder charge. The Crown has no legal grounds for appealing the verdict. Family members of both the victim and defendant attended the verdict. Justice Osborne commended the behaviour of the public gallery and the defendant throughout the trial. The defendant is expected to be sentenced on 11 July 2025, with his immigration status being a factor in sentencing decisions. Osborne also ordered that the defendant's name suppression and bail conditions continue until sentencing.

## Reactions
### Community responses

On 24 May, about 100 relatives and friends of Taana-McLaren gathered at the Dunedin bus hub to leave flowers and tributes, and to take part in a blessing. A haka was also performed. That same day, Trinity College principal Kate Nicholson expressed support for Taana-McLaren's family, stating "It is so devastating, heartbreaking and sad to lose someone so young and full of energy and promise in such a senseless and horrific way." King's High School acting rector Darin Smith and the Otago Rugby League also extended messages of condolences.
On 25 May, Otago Community Rugby manager Warren Kearney confirmed that Trinity Catholic College's Intermediate Otago Combined Sassenachs rugby team had cancelled an upcoming game against Dunstan High School to honour his memory. His friends also gathered at the bus stop on 24 May to leave flowers and tributes, and to take part in a blessing. Otago Community Rugby also published a social media post expressing condolences and sympathy for McLaren-Taana's family, friends and teammates. On 26 May, Secondary Principals Association president Vaughan Couillault expressed concern about the rise of violence between students and incidents resulting in serious injury.

### Local authorities

On 24 May, Inspector Marty Gray confirmed that the Police were also working with the DCC, ORC, the Education Department, iwi (Māori tribes) and other partners to address anti-social behaviour at the Dunedin bus hub. Police also increased foot and car patrols, and CCTV surveillance around Great King Street.
On 25 May, Mayor of Dunedin Jules Radich said that he was willing to consult Police, schools, the Dunedin City Council and bus operators to develop a "wider community response" to concerns about safety at the Dunedin bus hub and on the city's bus network. By 29 May, a multi-agency "working group" was drafting terms of references for the inquiry into public safety at the bus hub. Radich confirmed that the working group would seek to consult schools, bus users and the wider community. In addition, Otago Regional Council Chair Gretchen Robertson confirmed that the Council would be consulting with the DCC, Police and other parties to improve safety at the bus hub. She also confirmed that the ORC and Police would beef up security guards and police personnel at the bus hub.
On 2 September 2024, the ORC launched a public relations campaign called "It's Cool to be Kind" to improve safety on buses, hubs and stops in Dunedin and Queenstown. On 22 October 2024, the ORC confirmed it had awarded security company First Security a contract for bus security services in Dunedin in response to the Dunedin bus hub stabbing. Security guards serving at the Dunedin bus hub and some buses would be fitted with body cameras.
In January 2025 the ORC, along with the Dunedin Youth Council and the Dunedin Student Council, launched a bus safety campaign in response to Taana-McLaren's death. The Council briefly suspended the campaign in early March after the pro-Israel advocacy group, the Israel Institute of New Zealand, had complained about a teenager wearing a keffiyeh in a campaign poster. On 4 March, 40 pro-Palestinian supporters held a lunchtime gathering in Dunedin's Octagon to protest against the Israel Institute's complaint.