'Profound loss': Toddler died after swallowing drawing pin
A coroner has ruled the death of a 21-month-old Auckland toddler as a tragic accident after he choked on a drawing pin. Despite extensive resuscitation efforts by family and medical staff, the child could not be saved.
Why it matters
The case highlights the critical need for parental awareness regarding small household items that pose severe choking hazards to young children.
<p>An Auckland toddler who choked to death after swallowing a drawing pin died in a "tragic accident" that could not have been foreseen, a coroner has found.</p> <p>Siuta Laulaupea'alu Uhi, of Henderson, died at Waitakere Hospital on November 21, 2025, aged just a year and nine months.</p> <p>Coroner Ian Telford's findings, released this week, detailed that Siuta was playing with his siblings in the family lounge when his mother noticed he appeared to be choking.</p> <p>He was holding a bag of lollies at the time, and his mother believed a lolly was causing the obstruction.</p> <p>She immediately placed him face down and delivered back blows to try and clear his airway.
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