Kua whati te tara o te marama. E te papa Lennie, mou te tai ata, moku te tai po. Kei nga pitau whakarei o te motu nau mai, tahuti mai ki Te Hui. Ko Mihingarangi tenei e mihi atu nei ki a koutou katoa. Welcome to The Hui, Maori current affairs for all New Zealanders. E taro ake nei ` It was meant to be a road trip to remember. They were three or four of the best days of my life, eh. But the much-anticipated holiday turned into tragedy a whanau will never forget. SOBS: This is not right. (SNIFFLES) This is never gonna be all right. We lost Auntie. She died. She died. I was the driver. Now Kura Wijnschenk has to prove she isn't guilty of careless driving causing death of her aunt Cherie Bidois. But should she even have to? I really felt that the case would be withdrawn or pulled out or taken off the table by now. I don't understand that. I think what Kura's going through is... I wouldn't put that on my worst enemy. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2018 Karahuihui mai. Imagine being witness to a fatal car crash where you were the driver and the passenger you killed happened to be a close relative. That's the reality for Waitara woman Kura Wijnschenk. She faces prosecution for serious careless driving charges after her South Island vacation turned into tragedy. Kura says she doesn't agree with the police investigation into the crash and says the prospect of criminal charges has caused more heartache for a whanau who are still grieving the loss of a much-loved woman. Here's Ruwani Perera with part one of Kura Wijnschenk's story. (HAUNTING MUSIC) It was meant to be a road trip to remember. It was beautiful, special. We were having a good time. It was an adventure. KURA: It's snowing! CHERIE: Oh my God. But the much-anticipated holiday turned into a tragedy she'll never forget. We had three or four days of greatness down there that I'll cherish forever and ever. (DISCORDANT MUSIC) This is not right. (TYRES SQUEAL) (SNIFFLES) This is never gonna be all right. We lost Auntie. She died. She died, and I was the driver. (HAUNTING KOAUAU MUSIC) 43-year-old Kura Wijnschenk is charged with careless driving causing the death of her beloved aunt Cherie Bidois. There is something wrong here. I have to speak on behalf of my auntie to tell the story of what actually happened. If we had both died in that accident, no one would have known the difference. Kura denies she's at fault and says she and her whanau have serious concerns about the police investigation into the fatal crash. WOMEN: Pai marire. I really felt that the case would be withdrawn or pulled out or taken off the table by now. I still have to go. I don't understand that. A year on, Murray Bidois is still coming to terms with the loss of his little sister Cherie, who died in the horrific car crash in South Otago. It was just a big shock to the lot of us, for the whole of the community. Everyone in Waitara, they all knew Cherie. 53-year-old Cherie was a social worker with Child, Youth and Family and well respected amongst her Waitara community in Taranaki. She was our go-to girl. If anything we wanted done, Cherie used to do it for us. She just loved life. The mother of two had a larger-than-life personality and was an integral part of Owae Marae. This video taken of Cherie working front and centre in the marae kitchen shows her in her element, amongst her people. Kura is Cherie's niece, and the pair shared a close bond. They'd planned a much-anticipated week-long holiday to the Deep South last May. 'We need a holiday. Let's do this. Let's go and have an adventure.' The main attraction for Cherie was to attend the Bluff Oyster Festival. Little did she realise oysters are my favourite ever. So I've been to the top of the north island to have oysters, so why not go to the bottom? Starting in Christchurch, they hired a campervan and planned to take a few days to make the almost 600km drive down to Invercargill for the festival. Cherie asked if Kura could be the driver for the entire journey. How special was it to spend that time with her, just the two of you? Oh, it brought us together more. It was... It strengthened that. On the day of the accident, the pair left their holiday campsite in Dunedin ready to make the final 200km drive to Invercargill. It was a really yucky day. We got up early to start the day early cos we wanted to get a lot in. KURA: Just this way? CHERIE: Yep, that way. It was day four of their road trip, and Kura and Cherie had been travelling for around seven hours, making frequent stops along the way. Then, just after 4.30 in the afternoon, the weather started to pack up. Kura and Cherie were going to take a detour to explore the Catlins native forest along the south-east coast, but since the weather was getting nasty, decided to head back on to the main highway. I said to Auntie, 'Shall we cut back in? Cos it's getting too yucky.' She said, 'Yup.' As we turned back to find our way back to the highway, it was snowing. Auntie goes, 'Is it snowing?' I said, 'I think it's snowing, Auntie.' 'Pull over,' she said, 'we've got to film this.' So we videoed it. It was awesome. KURA: It is snowing. CHERIE: We're at Owaka somewhere, the backblocks. Cherie took this video just out of Clinton, minutes before the horrific smash. CHERIE: Oh my God. KURA: Yay! It's snowing! CHERIE: (LAUGHS) Jesus Christ! Holy moly. I find joy in hearing her voice, yeah, and that she actually filmed that. It was the happy place that we were at, just before. So that's how it was, going into it. Their excitement would quickly turn to terror. What can you remember? I can remember all of it. VOICE CRACKS: Don't wanna remember all of it. So we were travelling` Um, from there we got back on the road, from the snow, and we'd finally made the highway. (SOLEMN MUSIC) You weren't in a rush or anything like that? No. Hell, no. We had plenty of time. So, the wind was picking up a lot more, and in the distance I could see it was quite dark coming... Every now and again I'd feel a nudge, so my car would kind of do that. And so I slowed right down. I said to Auntie, 'I'm going to slow right down, let the cars pass me 'because I don't like the wind, Auntie.' She said 'You know what you're doing, bub. You're fine, you know what you're doing.' (RAIN FALLS HEAVILY) Probably about five more minutes in and I went just over` down this hill and I saw this car coming. Auntie was on her phone, cos she didn't see it. She had about four seconds to react. (TYRES SQUEAL) Was trying to take control of the situation as best as I could. (TYRES SQUEAL, CRASH!) (HAUNTING MUSIC) I must have blacked out. We landed on the other side of the road, facing that way, on the right hand side. I just remember waking up smelling fumes. Um... Yeah, it wasn't pretty. You don't want me to describe what` Nah, cos that was` it's too hard. Cherie Bidois took the full force of the crash, which crushed the front of the van and pinned her legs under the dashboard. Auntie was stuck. I was scared. I couldn't get us out. Yelling out to the people around me to help me, cos none of the doors would open. I'm quickly realising she's... she's dying. So I'm trying to... think how I do CPR, remember my first aid course. But no one can get the door open. It was horrible. And then they walk me to the ambulance, and that's when I see this car for the first time. And I go, 'What the (BLEEP) happened?' Do you blame yourself, Kura? I know I didn't cause it. But, you know, the driver gotta take responsibility, you know? There's a part of me that blames myself. I have to work through that. Yeah, part of me does, cos I was driving. And Auntie died while I was driving. I remember the day when she had her accident. Cos I was down with Dad, and I says, 'Have you heard from Cherie?' And he just said to me, 'Nah.' I said, 'Oh well, she must be having a good time.' And little did we know. What settles me is that Aunty didn't see it coming, she didn't scream out. she didn't know the danger we were in at that moment. I did. But she got the brunt of it. That was... the worst day. I thought we could be in a car accident and we'd be hurt. I never thought she'd die. Amazingly, Kura escaped with a few fractured ribs and bruising. I asked where the other driver was, who was he, how old was he? That's when I realise he was a 70-plus-year-old man. Um, he is alive, he is in Dunedin Hospital, has suffered a head injury. Kura's toxicology tests confirmed there were no drugs or alcohol in her system. The other driver was only tested for alcohol. No bloods were taken for drugs, despite the fact he admitted to taking half a dozen pills a day. To know he was a 70-plus-year-old man, I thought maybe it was a medical issue he'd had. Then, in November, almost six months after the accident, Kura would be blindsided once again by a phone call from police. 'I regret to inform you we have actually found that you were at fault for this accident, 'and you'll be charged with careless driving causing injury, careless driving causing death. 'You need to find a lawyer. Blah, blah, blah.' I couldn't hear any more. MURRAY: This was devastating for her. I thought, 'God, poor girl.' And for this to happen now, it'll be a life sentence for her. After the break ` Kura Wijnschenk fights to clear her name and gets a second opinion that backs her up. I think what Kura is going through, I wouldn't put that on my worst enemy. Of course I'm not gonna plead guilty, cos I'm not. Kia mau tonu mai ra, kei tua o nga whakatairanga ko te wahanga tuarua o taua purongo. Auraki mai ano. It's been a year of grieving for the Bidois family in Taranaki following the tragic death of much-loved family member Cherie Bidois. Her niece Kura Wijnschenk is accused of careless driving causing the Waitara mother-of-two's untimely death. But Kura Wijnschenk says she didn't cause the car crash last year and is fighting to prove her innocence. Here's Ruwani Perera with part two of Kura's story to clear her name. It was a holiday that went tragically wrong. Kura Wijnschenk's aunt Cherie Bidois was killed in a car crash in South Otago in May last year. Kura, who was behind the wheel, now faces serious charges for careless driving causing death. The charge carries a maximum penalty of three months in jail. I shouldn't have survived it. I don't know how I did. I must have been wrapped up by my tupuna and that, cos my head was safe. I was still wearing my glasses. My glasses were down like that, but I was still wearing my glasses. Yeah, yeah. Remarkable. It just still blows my mind. Remarkable. Remarkable, yeah. Kura's recollection of what happened and what police determined happened are quite different. The police Serious Crash Unit report says Kura was to blame for the fatal crash that killed Cherie Bidois. It points to driver fatigue as a factor. I start thinking, 'Hang on, wait. these are our authorities, 'these are the ones that investigated it. They must have investigated it properly. 'Oh my God, I must have done this. 'Maybe I remembered it wrong, maybe I saw it wrong. And that's another part of it too. I was thinking, 'Oh gosh. Now they're all going to start questioning am I lying, 'did she do this?' You're thinking, 'What's Auntie Cherie's family gonna think?' Yeah. What's the impact that's gonna come of this? But there were more than two cars on the road that day. A first-hand witness to the accident told police that he supported Kura's version of events. But Police appear to have discarded this. Not only did I see it that way, I have a witness who corroborates it; I've got a witness who draws it exactly the same as I saw it. How, then, is that wrong? A police Serious Crash Unit investigator has found Kura at fault for the accident. However, Kura has obtained her own expert report, which says she was not to blame. I read it and I think, 'Wow, there's something not right here.' How can the prosecution still go ahead, then? But they are. A year on and with the trial hanging over her, Kura is still traumatised by the accident. It's been one of the hardest journeys I've ever had to experience... and still living. You know... You're paying for it in all sorts of ways, aren't you? Emotionally, mentally, physically, financially. In all sorts. It's pulled me in so many directions. It's tipped me over more than once. I have meltdowns daily, you know? Kura relies on the support of her whanau around her. She now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the crash. Her sisters, Anneke and Chrissy, have moved back home to Waitara to support her after Kura's health took a turn for the worse in March. I get this niggly pain. I think I'm having an asthma attack. End up in hospital, and I'm having a heart attack. I had a heart attack that night. Cherie Bidios' sudden death has been hardest on the people she loved the most. Her eldest son, Mawene, still struggling to come to terms with losing his mum. It's been hard for... not just me personally but just my grandfather. He's pretty much the rock of our family, and it's hard to see him go through such a hard time like that. The way my koro says he misses my mum, and knowing that me and my little brother still miss our mum, it's quite daunting and hard to, um, take on. Do you blame Kura? No blame at all. Even though she's on legal aid, the deadly crash is still costing Kura financially too. I'm nearly $40,000, $50,000 in debt there now, that I am still required to pay. Whether or not you're found innocent or guilty,... At this stage, yeah. ...you still have to pay it back? And because she pleaded not guilty to the charges, Kura will have to make her own way from her home in Taranaki down to Invercargill to stand trial. What about things like Victim Support? Are you able to get that? I'm not. I'm not able to get that now that I've been charged. Officially, I'm the defendant. Kind of a kick in the teeth again and again, because I know I didn't do anything wrong. So... why do I feel like a criminal? Cos that's how they make me feel. Kura is adamant that she didn't cause the crash, and Cherie Bidois' whanau are behind her all the way, including donating a significant koha towards Kura's defence case. Kura's got to find the money, but as a whanau we're here to support her. She's had a couple of rough spins, and she's stressed. It's the stress of what happened. And I said, 'No one should be put through that.' And now with this court case coming up, there's just more stress added on to her. This tragedy is a double blow for the Bidois whanau. I have to carry the loss of my mum, but also have to carry what my cousin's also going through too. It was just unlucky and sad. The stress became so unbearable for Kura she thought about farewelling friends and whanau and leaving her home town of Waitara for good. Remembering back last year ` cos it was only a year ago ` I felt like I couldn't live here any more. Just wanted to get away. I didn't know if this was my safe place any more. It was hard. I feel very supported and loved, and I've got a community backing me. It shouldn't be happening. This is just another journey for us, but we're here for our girl. And, you know, I think if it was the other way around, I think Cherie would be there too. Meanwhile, Kura is living a life sentence in limbo, bracing herself for the trial, desperate to clear her name. Why am I going through it? So other whanaus don't have to do this. How many other whanaus have been through this? It is wrong and it is unfair, and it needs to be looked at. Na Ruwani Perera tera purongo. Kura's trial in Invercargill was supposed to be heard last month, but was adjourned after police requested a third report into the car crash. They hope to get a new judge-only trial date in September. Ako ake nei, ka rongo tatou i nga arero koi o nga mahuri totara o te ao kupu korero. Kei te matakitaki koutou i a Te Hui. Well, you'll remember earlier this year we brought you a story about rangatahi throwing down in the world of spoken word. This weekend, Word ` The Front Line are holding the second heat of the semi-final competition. So to give you a sneak peak of the skills on display, we are joined in studio by Western Springs College students Manaia Tuwhare-Hoani, Terina Wichman-Evans, Matariki Bennett and Arihia Hall, here to perform their piece titled Moe Mai Ra. (FINGERS SNAP RHYTHMICALLY) STUDENTS: Because she was barren, she daydreamed about children. And grasping a takawai, she composed a lullaby. # He wahine, he whenua e ngaro ai te tangata. # She was a music lover, a melodious metaphor she would press to her chest. As the feathers of the korowai fell they floated, and she changed from being the property of her father to the property of her husband. # He wahine he ipo ko a ngaro ai # i a. # She played her role in te ao Maori like the men played the pukaea. # Ka moe koutou ra. # She was taught to link the past, the present and the future. # Kiwa ngai te korowai. # But her whare tangata was a meeting house with no manuhiri. # O ure tarewa. # Her reo was softer than the petals of her skin. It was frail and wilting, dying for a fire that won't spark in her kopu. # Moe mai ra. # Her mind wanders more than her body ever has. # Aku to tara hai ma ta. # She's a purerehua, and her frayed string was never tied. We hear her song in the confines of our bedrooms, lulling us to sleep, the taste of metallic on her tongue as she sang, a takawai filled with tears for a child born dead, leaving a parent with a life sentence, convicted of murder before another life could be lost. She has jail bars forming in her womb, and she sees her unborn child in the creases of her tear-stained face. Why do Maori women have so many problems? Why do you have so much to say? Do you understand what it's like to be told you are sacred because of a gift you didn't ask for, so your rights are stolen away from you like the babies that you're forced to produce? And if your machine is broken, well, then so are you. Do you understand what it means to lose a child, to be cowered over the limp bodies? They're not dying because they want to; we're killing them. They're punching bags with fresh bruises to mark the passage of time, pock-marking them until their tiny hands no longer shake. And only death would liberate them from this cruelty they never deserved to face. Moko. Nia. Hinekawa. Terepo. We'll do anything to keep them safe. If it means you'll stuff cotton wool down our oesophagus, we'll choke until our begging is heard. If you paint our bodies to cover our pain, we'll wash our faces until our mascara runs red. Even if our wombs weren't made to hold children, we'll not let the kids that could have been ours be murdered in living rooms behind closed curtains. # Moe mai ra. # The takawai began to slip through her hands. # Moe mai ra. # She was losing her grip. # Moe mai ra. # The takawai stopped breathing, and she crumbled like the earth beneath her feet. Katahi ra. Ka rawe, koutou. And if you want to find more about Word - The Front Line, we'll share a link on our Facebook page. A tera wiki, he kaupapa kapa haka. (CHILDREN SING) He's the man getting the kids into kapa. (CHILD CALLS) (ALL SING IN MAORI) Te A's just got a wonderful energy about him, you know? I think, you know, his ahua is just amazing. Whether it's a small Catholic school, a wealthy private school or local schools, Te A Hawke tutors them all. All the kids, they come, they're into it. And they're hungry. They're hungry little kapa haka fanatics. And, um, they go home and practise. Te A's passion for haka is contagious, and he's passing it on to all his tauira. (KIDS SHOUT) Just giving me a sense of pride. And I hope that's what it gives the kids too. (KIDS VOCALISE) Katahi te ringa tohaunui. Before we sign off today, The Hui would like to express our deepest condolences and aroha to our friend and colleague Raiha Paki, whose beloved father, Lennie Henare Johns, passed away earlier this week. Noreira e te papa he hanga hua noa te roimata i nga kamo. E kore rawa e monenehu te kura o aroha. Kua hikina Te Hui mo tenei ra. Newshub Nation's next. Pai marire ki a tatou. Captions by Tracey Dawson. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2018 ALL: He mea tautoko na Te Mangai Paho. The Hui is made with support from New Zealand On Air.