Tortured by her mother’s boyfriend, Wiremu Curtis, and his brother Michael, Nia endured unspeakable cruelty, including being spun in a hot clothes dryer, hung on a clothesline, and fatally kicked during wrestling practice.
Despite suffering for 33 hours before medical help was sought, her mother, Lisa Kuka, failed to protect her and instead celebrated Michael Curtis’ birthday while Nia lay dying.
Now, 17 years later, the Curtis brothers, sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 17 and a half years, will appear before the New Zealand Parole Board to seek their release. Michael is set for a hearing on January 13, followed by Wiremu in late February.
Speaking to media, the lead detective in the case, Garry Hawkins, expressed mixed emotions as the hearings approach, reflecting on the failure to safeguard New Zealand’s children even years after Nia’s death.
“Whenever a child falls victim to such violence, it brings up memories again,” Hawkins remarked, adding that despite public outrage, child abuse remains alarmingly prevalent.
The Curtis brothers’ parole hearings coincide with what would have been Nia’s 21st birthday in March, a haunting reminder of the life cut short by their actions.
