Naya Wharekura sentenced to life for Invercargill murder of young father Chad Parekura

When a drug dealer sought payment for half a gram of MDMA, the confrontation turned deadly. The dealer, Austin Jazz McGregor, survived being stabbed by his customer, but his friend Chad Parekura died, leaving behind a grieving family and a young son. Now, Naya Ropiu Fabian Wharekura is behind bars for at least 13 years for the murder and attempted murder of the pair, after his sentencing in the High Court at Invercargill yesterday.

In the publicly-released sentencing notes of Justice Paul Radich, it detailed how on the evening of April 23, 2022, Wharekura went into the Invercargill urban area to purchase half a gram of MDMA for $150 from McGregor..