Ambulance delay didn’t change outcome in Wellington man's death – coroner

Author: NZ Herald,
Publish Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2026, 8:36pm

Reuben-James Va'auli, 19, died in Strathmore Park, Wellington, from fatal self-inflicted injuries.

The death of a “kind and gentle” Wellington man was self-inflicted but not suicide, a coroner has found.

Nineteen-year-old Rueben-James Va’auli died on November 17, 2023, after suffering fatal self-inflicted injuries.

The findings also reveal Hato Hone St John categorised the incident incorrectly when a 111 call was made, delaying the emergency response, although the coroner found a faster response would not have saved his life.

Va’auli lived with his brother and grandparents in Strathmore Park, Wellington.

“He wanted to be a youth mentor and work with rangatahi in their community and had been volunteering at a kickboxing gym,” Coroner Ruth Thomas said in her findings released today.

Va’auli’s brother said on the morning of November 17, 2023, he went into the sitting room where Va’auli slept and saw the room was messy.

He woke Va’auli up and asked him to clean the room, but Va’auli refused, leading to an argument that became physical.

Va’auli then “stormed off” out of the apartment block.

His brother and grandfather reported hearing the sound of something breaking, but thought it was nearby construction workers.

Residents of a neighbouring apartment heard someone shouting and found Va’auli seriously injured. They called 111.

Despite the neighbour telling the 111 operator she was concerned he was going to die, the seriousness of the situation was not initially recognised by the call-taker and an “orange” response code was generated.

About 10 minutes later, after the caller reported Va’auli was unconscious and dying, a “purple” immediate threat-to-life response code was issued.

Less than 10 minutes later, paramedics arrived and tried to resuscitate him in an ambulance.

He was taken to Wellington Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The scene in Strathmore Park, Wellington, where Rueben-James Va’auli suffered his injuries.

St John has acknowledged the incident was categorised incorrectly, and the seriousness of his situation was not recognised, the coroner said.

The organisation had reviewed the incident and noted the call-taker was new to the role and has since received further training.

Even if the 111 call had been coded correctly and the ambulance arrived more quickly, the outcome would not have changed, the coroner said.

The coroner ruled that while Va’auli “intentionally inflicted” injuries to himself, she was not satisfied he intended to take his own life, and it was therefore not a suicide.