Tailasa Pongia jailed for murdering teen in South Auckland street fight – but not for life

The teen who murdered 19-year-old Greig Temarama-Abela during a street fight in South Auckland has escaped a life sentence. 

Instead, a judge deemed the sentence “manifestly unjust” and the young killer has been jailed for a finite term of 18 years and ordered to serve nine before he can be considered for parole. 

His victim’s family were in court to see the convicted murderer handed his sentence and spoke for the first time about their deep grief – with his father telling the court that if it was not for his other children, he would not want to live. 

Tailasa Vakavale Otuha’Apai Pongia, now 20, appeared in the High Court at Auckland this morning before Justice Matthew Downs after earlier pleading guilty to charges of murder and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. 

On August 1, 2025 Pongia had been drinking with friends at a house in Bairds Rd in Ōtara. 

Temarama-Abela was drinking with his own friends at a property about a kilometre away. 

Tailasa Pongia. Photo / NZME 

According to police, they had an “unresolved dispute” with one of Pongia’s mates and just before midnight, they walked to the Bairds Rd to confront them. 

“A verbal exchange which escalated into shouting profanities and physical challenges and spilled outwards on to Bairds Road,” the police summary of facts stated. 

“More members of the group [Pongia’s] joined in. A widespread physical altercation broke out, with members of both groups throwing punches and fighting. 

“At an unknown point, Mr Pongia armed himself with a knife.” 

Greig Kelvin Temarama-Abela died after he was stabbed by Tailasa Pongia in a South Auckland street fight. 

Pongia stabbed Temarama-Abela, who was facing away from him, in the upper back. 

The 8.5cm-deep wound entered through Temarama-Abela’s ribs and fatally cut a small internal artery, resulting in a fatal haemorrhage. 

One of his friends saw the stabbing and punched Pongia. 

He fell to the ground and when he got up, he lunged forward and stabbed the man in the abdomen. 

Police said the street fight “continued intermittently” but “eventually petered off”. 

“By this point, Mr Temarama-Abela sat down ... He quickly lost consciousness.” 

He died at the scene. 

The other victim was taken to hospital and received three stitches. 

Pongia was found by police the next day. 

“[He] initially claimed to have been asleep until he was found ... and he claimed no knowledge or involvement in any disorder,” police said. 

“He later declined to comment.” 

Police found two knives in Pongia’s car. 

The scene of the murder. Photo / Hayden Woodward 

Pongia sat quietly in the dock this morning while Temarama-Abela’s parents read powerful victim impact statements. 

Wearing T-shirts bearing Temarama-Abela’s picture and the words “forever 19″, his mother Rosina Temarama and father Paul Abela spoke in court. 

Temarama said she would never forget the police coming to her home to tell her her son was dead. 

“I screamed and cried and cried,” she said. 

“I wanted to see my son at the hospital, hoping it was not him and wanting it to be someone else. When I saw my son lying there – that was when I broke down. 

“My life changed forever – not only for myself but for his whole family ... Our hearts were shattered that morning.” 

She said Temarama-Abela shared a “unique” bond with his three siblings and they would forever miss his laughter and presence. 

“He had just turned 19, and I was so honoured and blessed to be Greig’s mother before he was senselessly and cruelly taken from us,” she said. 

“I am left haunted by this question. Why did you get a knife and stab my son in the back? You robbed me of seeing my son accomplish his dreams ... our plan was never this. The plan was always that I would die before any of my children. That tortures me every single day.” 

Temarama said she struggled to sleep since her son died. She was constantly sad and crying. 

“I miss my son so much ... I am mourning the loss of so many hopes, dreams and expectations. I will never get to hold or see his first child ... I will never wake up again on Christmas or his birthday to give him a hug and kiss and a present which he always loved. 

“I will miss looking at his beautiful face and his lovely smile, his laugh, which is unforgettable, his voice, his way of talking, his humour, his style. 

“I was his everything and he was mine. He was always home, always there for me when I needed him. I always spoke with my son Greig about his future – he wanted a good job and to travel. He just wanted me to be proud of him.” 

Temarama said her son was “one of a kind”. 

“He had a good, caring heart. He was humble, genuine and respectful. Greig never asked for much and was very simple,” she said. 

“He loved all his family members with all his heart. He made everyone feel welcome, loved and important. His smile would light up the room. 

“Greig’s passing has left a hole in my heart that can never be repaired ... I will be mourning the loss of my son for the rest of my life. 

“I hope that Greig’s death was not in vain. Whatever the sentence is for the defendant, I will not know it will not bring my son back, but I hope justice is done. 

“My son Greig is a survivor, and he survives in all of us.” 

Tailasa Pongia in the High Court at Auckland. Photo / NZME 

Abela began reading his statement but soon broke down with emotion. A family member then stepped in to speak his words. 

He said he was “deeply sad and hurt” and “couldn’t believe” when police delivered the terrible news that Temarama-Abela had been killed. 

“My life turned upside down, and I was shocked and in denial. I had just spoken to my son that evening before, and in an instant my son was gone,” Abela’s statement said. 

“Our life is not and will never be the same again. His mother and I have not been able to work since my son’s passing. Mentally, I am not the same. I can’t stop thinking about my poor son, what we have lost and what we miss out on – like watching my son grow up into the man he was becoming and wanted to be.” 

Abela said nothing had been normal for his family since his son died. 

They travel to his cemetery up to three times a day and Paul said his grave had become their “second home”. 

The family are having counselling together and have started attending church to try to make sense of what happened. 

“Our home feels empty just like my heart,” Abela’s statement said. 

“We will never be the same again. If not for my other children, I would not want to live. 

“My son Greig was awesome, caring and always funny. He was humble and a respectful young man. He was a good son ... He loved his family and was always there. 

“I will forever love my son so much and my heart is aching. I will always miss him, and he will always be remembered. Until the day I see him again.” 

Both groups of men were drinking at separate addresses in Ōtara before the confrontation and murder. Photo / Hayden Woodward 

Two of Temarama-Abela’s aunts also read statements. 

“Losing my nephew at just 19 years old has caused a pain that I cannot fully put into words. I adored him with all my heart,” the first said. 

“It has been over a year since he was taken away from us, but the pain of losing him does not disappear ... I still have to live with the reality that someone I adored so deeply is no longer here. 

“What happened to my nephew has affected our family in ways that cannot be measured. Behind this crime is a young man who was loved. A family who misses him. And a future that has been taken away ... My nephew’s life mattered. He was ... a man who was deeply loved. This has caused pain that cannot be undone. Our family must carry that pain for the rest of our lives.” 

A second aunt said she “could still hear the sound” of her family finding out about Temarama-Abela’s death. 

“The crying, the screaming, and the heartbreaking cries of my family as they mourned ... those sounds have stayed with me; they will never truly leave me. It was a traumatic experience, and still to this day I get flashbacks of the day we lost Greig. 

“That morning was our family’s nightmare ... No parent should ever have to stand beside their child’s lifeless body and experience that kind of devastation. 

“Greig was only 19 years old; he was far too young to have his life taken away from him. He had so much more life ahead of him. He had so many more years to grow, to laugh to smile, to love, to make memories and to spend time with the people who cared about and loved him.” 

Auckland High Court judge Justice Matthew Downs. 

The other victim stabbed by Pongia also wrote a victim impact statement for the court, which was read by Crown prosecutor Aysser Al-Janabi. 

He said he was lucky not to have had any long-lasting effects from the stabbing. 

“I have nothing to say to Tailasa other than I am angry at him for what he did,” his statement said. 

“He stabbed my brother Greig, and he is no longer with us anymore. He stabbed me, but I survived, and I just want to leave it how it is and let it go. 

“When I go out now, I am more cautious because of what he did to me and more so to Greig. I am lucky that I am still here, but nothing he does will ever bring Greig back, and that is why I am angry at him. 

“Tailasa – I have nothing more to say to you as you have not earned that right, and you have taken away a brother from me. I want to spend my time thinking about and giving attention to someone else, not you. You have done damage that can never be repaired and I hope you think about this when you are sitting in your prison cell. 

Police investigating the fatal street fight soon after Pongia stabbed two people. Photo / Hayden Woodward 

Al-Janabi acknowledged that given Pongia’s age, Justice Downs could consider that life imprisonment was manifestly unjust and that, instead, a lengthy sentence of imprisonment was the appropriate sentence. 

“Nothing at all can diminish the tragedy and destruction that Mr Pongia’s offending has caused,” she said. 

“The Crown’s next submission is that the appropriate finite sentence for this offending, reflecting both the murder and the wounding charge, is one of 30 years’ imprisonment – and this appropriately reflects the number of aggravating features which include extreme violence, use of a weapon, degree of premeditation, and of course the extent of the harm. 

“The Crown acknowledges that in law, he is entitled to discounts for his youth, remorse and rehabilitation, and a global discount of around 25% is appropriate.” 

Defence lawyer John Corby acknowledged Pongia’s offending was “reckless” but “it wasn’t an intent to kill”. 

“But he did kill, and that’s accepted,” he said. 

“This is a tragedy that none of us could ever have imagined experiencing. And I endorse that comment, sir.” 

The court heard that Pongia had expressed remorse and had written a letter to Temarama-Abela’s family. 

However, he also told a psychiatric report writer that he did not think he had “done any significant harm to anyone, at least initially”. 

“That cannot be right, as your guilty pleas acknowledge that you stabbed Mr Temarama-Abelam intending then to cause him bodily injury which you knew was likely to cause his death, and that you stabbed [the other victim] intending then to cause him very serious bodily harm,” Justice Downs said. 

Tailasa Pongia. Photo / NZME 

He explained to the court he would not impose a life sentence for Pongia. 

“The law says anyone convicted of murder must be sentenced to imprisonment for life, including sanctity of human life. 

“That said, a higher court has held a more flexible approach is required when a young defendant is sentenced for murder. This more flexible approach recognises young people are not adults and may make decisions adults would not make because of their age.” 

The judge said there were factors that supported a life sentence. 

“First, that while you are young, you are not that young. Second, your use of a knife ... no one else had a weapon. Use of knives as weapons is also a matter of significant public concern. Third, Mr Temarama-Abela had not attacked you in any way. Indeed, his back was to you. 

“Fourth, the fact you did not need to become involved in what was occurring. You chose to become involved. Fifth, your commission of another serious offence, by which I mean obviously your wound his injury could have been much worse. Indeed it could have been fatal had things been a little different only. Your case is then, Mr Pongia, right on the cusp.” 

Ultimately, Justice Downs said Pongia’s age, the fact he killed “with a single stab wound”, his “impulsive behaviour” and “an element of excessive self defence” satisfied him it would be unjust to impose a life sentence on the young killer. 

“And ... the information I have about you which comes from a pre-sentence report and a psychiatric report discloses some remorse and prospect of rehabilitation,” he said. 

“Ultimately, I am persuaded life imprisonment would be manifestly unjust.” 

Justice Downs noted that while Pongia “helped another or others commit a burglary” before the murder, he had no criminal record at the time of Temarama-Abela’s death. 

The High Court at Auckland. Photo / NZME 

The court heard that Pongia had a “stable and relatively happy upbringing as an adopted child”, but it was “unremarkable” in connection to his offending. 

“You say you were bullied at school and ultimately expelled or at least asked to leave school. You report anxiety and panic attacks but suffer no delusions or recognised psychological impairment,” Justice Downs said. 

“You appear to have had no trouble in obtaining employment of different types. You used alcohol as a young person and some drugs. You appear wary of answering questions about gang connections, but there is no suggestion your offending was gang-related. 

“For murdering Greg Temarama Abella, you are sentenced to a term of 18 years imprisonment with a minimum period of nine years, and for wounding [the other victim] you are sentenced to a term of five years imprisonment. Both terms run together at the same time in the language of the law, they are concurrent.” 

Pongia was also given a warning under the Three Strikes law. 

“The warning is this: if you are convicted of any serious violent offence other than murder after this warning, and if a judge imposes a sentence of imprisonment, you will serve that sentence without parole or early release,” Justice Downs said. 

“If you are convicted of murder committed after this warning, you must be sentenced to life imprisonment. You would serve that without parole unless it would be manifestly unjust.” 

Anna Leask is a senior journalist who covers Christchurch issues and national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for more than 20 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence and homicides. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz.