A couple who were jointly charged with murder following a shooting in South Auckland earlier this year can now be named.

Lawyers for Rangi Roy Pauu, 41, and Jahla Kathryn Rawiri-Adams, 27, sought interim suppression during their first appearances in Manukau District Court in January and again during their first appearance in the High Court at Auckland in February.

However, that suppression lapsed this week.

Police investigate the scene in Manurewa, South Auckland, where Taniora Baker was shot to death on January 9 this year. Photo / Hayden Woodward

The two are accused of having fatally shot Taniora Kavi Baker at a Manurewa home just after 11pm on Friday, January 9.

Baker died at the scene.

Pauu and Rawiri-Adams, who lived together prior to their arrests, tried to hold hands while meeting again in the dock for their February High Court appearance. Security officers, also in the dock with them, wouldn’t allow it.

Co-defendants Rangi Pauu and Jahla Rawiri-Adams appear together in the High Court at Auckland in February 2026, jointly charged with the murder of Taniora Baker in Manurewa. Photo / Michael Craig

A trial has been set for next April.

Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.