A man has pleaded not guilty to murdering a mother and her two children following an incident at a property in Hastings.
By Sam Sherwood for RNZ
A homicide investigation, dubbed Operation Train, was launched after emergency services were called to a property on Avenue Rd East, Hastings about 6am on April 19, after reports of several people being seriously injured.
Three people died - a woman and her two children, a 3-month-old girl and a 17-month-old girl.
A 36-year-old man has been charged with murdering them.
The man appeared in the High Court at Napier on Friday before Justice Karen Grau.
Through his lawyer he pleaded not guilty to the charges. A trial date has been set for three weeks from August 30 2027.
Justice Grau continued an interim suppression order until his next appearance on July 9.
The man was remanded in custody.
Coroner Bruce Hesketh earlier granted an interim non-publication order in relation to the names, or any particulars likely to lead to the identification, of any of the four people.
That order was to lapse on Monday at 5pm.
On Monday, Coroner Ruth Thomas extended the interim non-publication order until any suppression orders were lifted in the criminal proceedings and any application for the continuation of the order filed by the family of the deceased, and any responses in opposition have been heard and ruled on in the Coroners Court.
The family earlier said in a statement they were "heartbroken and devastated by the tragic loss of our loved ones".
"We are struggling to come to terms with the senseless violence that has taken three beautiful lives far too soon.
"They were deeply loved and will be missed beyond words."
The family asked for privacy "as we grieve together and support one another".
"We would also like to thank the emergency services, investigators, and the wider community for their care, compassion, and support during this unimaginable time."
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