Source: Radio New Zealand
Austen Keith Richardson and his grandmother Yao Fang. Supplied / Police
The family of a child and grandmother killed when a landslide hit a house in Pāpāmoa say they’re “absolutely devastated” by the loss of a “treasured son” and his “beloved Nai Nai”.
Two bodies were recovered by police at the home on Welcome Bay Rd on Thursday.
On Tuesday, police named the pair as 10-year-old Austen Keith Richardson and his grandmother, 71-year-old Yao Fang.
Their deaths have been referred to the Coroner.
In a statement Austen’s parents, Keith and Angel, said he was the “much-loved” only child of the couple, and Fang’s only grandchild. Angel was Fang’s only child.
“Austen and his grandmother had an incredibly close relationship – with Austen affectionately calling her Nai Nai.”
Austen was born in Shanghai, China, and the family moved back to New Zealand with him when he was about eight months old.
Since Austen was born Fang had spent “extended periods” of time with the family in New Zealand.
“Austen had just finished at Arataki School where he thrived in the Montessori class. It perfectly suited his personality.”
Austen had been accepted to Bethlehem College and was due to start as a Year 7.
“A gifted musician, Austen loved piano, was extremely mechanically minded, loved building Lego, riding motorbikes, Pokémon and solving math equations.
“The weekend before the tragedy, we visited the Kumeu Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival before surprising him with his dream motocross bike from a mate on the way home.
“This will forever be a treasured memory.”
The family recently attended the Annual Honda Kids Camp at Lake Rotoiti.
“Austen spoke Mandarin fluently, was proud of his Chinese heritage and loved visiting China on our trips back.”
The family said they were “lucky” to have Fang spend so much time with them.
Ten-year-old Austen Keith Richardson and his grandmother, 71-year-old Yao Fang. Supplied / Police
“She was a beautiful mother and grandmother, deeply caring, so generous and always prioritising looking after others ahead of herself.
“Fang worked as an architect in China while raising Angel as a solo parent.
“She loved the nature in New Zealand, helped us grow an incredible vegetable garden, looked after our chickens, and joined us at Chinese Methodist Church in Greerton.”
The family was grateful for the “amazing support” they had received.
“We are absolutely devastated by the loss of our treasured son and his beloved Nai Nai.
“Our thoughts are also with the other families impacted by the Mount Maunganui tragedy and what they are going through.”
‘Bright’, talented musician
St Peter’s Anglican Church director of music Chalium Poppy earlier told RNZ the boy was due to come to a piano lesson at the Mt Maunganui church on Thursday.
Poppy said he was contacted by a friend of the family to say the boy was missing in one of the slips.
“I’d been teaching all morning, so I hadn’t heard the news about the slips yet, and so I was a little bit caught off guard and on the back foot, but it became obvious during the day that it was a lot more serious,” he said.
“Then I found out again from a friend of the family, whose son also takes piano from me, that it was confirmed today that he was one of the two victims.”
Poppy said the boy had recently started taking piano lessons with him.
“He had only sort of just started, so he had a few lessons… but like with all my students, I always sort of do a meet and greet first and make sure that it’s going to be a right fit for the student and the parents and everything and so I got to know him through sort of the meet and greet more than his lessons, but he was just really bright and incredibly talkative… asked lots of really great questions, like a really cool, sort of inquisitive mind, and obviously talented
musically.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
