Why the woman who killed Flaxmere 11
The New Zealand Parole Board has denied parole to Terina Marata-Kohu Pineaha, who is serving a prison sentence for the manslaughter of 11-year-old Emma-Jane Kupa. The board determined that Pineaha remains an undue risk to the community until she completes necessary drug and alcohol treatment programs.
Why it matters
This case highlights the intersection of judicial sentencing, victim impact, and the rehabilitation requirements necessary for parole eligibility in serious vehicular manslaughter cases.
The woman who killed 11-year-old Emma-Jane Kupa as she cycled down a Flaxmere street remains an undue risk to community safety until she undergoes alcohol and drug treatment.
The Parole Board’s decision, released this week, provides further detail about why Terina Marata-Kohu Pineaha’s first bid for parole rel="" title="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/family-of-11-year-old-emma-jane-kupa-relieved-as-driver-denied-parole/CJ7Y5SB5ZNBIZODYJBLXIXQNAA/">was declined .
Pineaha, 36, is serving four years and five months in prison for manslaughter, dangerous driving, excess breath alcohol, failing to stop, consuming methamphetamine and wilful damage after killing Emma-Jane while she rode her bicycle with her sister down Chatham Rd.
The Parole Board decision said Pineaha was intoxicated, under the influence of methamphetamine and driving at “significantly excessive speed” when she struck Emma-Jane in January 2025.
Her parents and two brothers travelled to Wellington for the July 23 parole hearing and told Hawke’s Bay Today they felt “relief” when they later learned Pineaha would remain behind bars.
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