Court tense as Vercoe murder accused appears

PRINCIPAL: Hawea Vercoe died outside a Whakatane bar.

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There were angry scenes as a man charged with the murder of a Bay of Plenty school principal appeared in court this morning.

Isaiah Johnson Richard Tai, of Whakatane was charged with murder after the death of Hawea Vercoe, 36, of Rotoiti, early on Sunday morning.

Families of the two men exchanged outbursts in Whakatane District Court this morning.

Mr Vercoe was felled with one punch outside the Quart House Bar in Whakatane about 2.30am, and died soon afterwards.

He was principal of Te Kura Kaupapa o Te Rotoiti in Rotorua and a Maori seat councillor on Environment Bay of Plenty.

Mr Tai, who was denied name suppression, will next appear in court on December 9.

He did not enter a plea.

At the time of his death, Mr Vercoe was under investigation by the Teachers Council after being convicted of using threatening and intimidating language against his former wife's partner.

A court was told in July that Mr Vercoe had called the complainant and threatened to "arrange an accident" for him and put the man "in a wheelchair for six months".

The man accused of his murder is to appear in Whakatane District Court today.

Quart House owner Grant Webb said he had watched CCTV footage of events leading up to Mr Vercoe's death.

The alleged offender was leaving the bar at the same time as Mr Vercoe.

"This fella had just taken offence to something and just king-hit [Mr Vercoe] and he just ended up dying out there."

There was no suggestion Mr Vercoe was intoxicated, Mr Webb said. "It wasn't a drunken brawl or anything like that – it just came completely out of the blue.

"No-one had a chance to react. It just shocked everybody. I'm not sure how quickly he died, but he was beyond help by the time they [bar staff] got there, that's for sure."

Mr Vercoe's family performed a blessing and karakia outside the bar yesterday afternoon. An autopsy will be carried out today.

- With NZPA