Death being treated as suspected suicide

The death of former Taranaki rugby player Sean Wainui is being treated as a suspected suicide, according to the coroner.

The 25-year-old professional sportsman died on October 18.

His body was found in

Mclaren Falls Park, near

Tauranga. The case is being treated as a suspected suicide by Coroner Louella Dunn, a statement said yesterday.

Wainui was remembered by Taranaki and Manawatū at the Inglewood TET stadium on Saturday, with a moment’s silence followed by a haka ahead of their Bunnings national provincial championship match.

The player was from Whatatutu, near Gisborne, a and had ties tongā it ūhoe,i tang a am āhaki, Ngā Ariki Kaipūtahi, and Ngāti Porou.

Wainui’s widow, Paige, shared an emotional social media post on Monday, after he was laid to rest at the weekend at Te Wainui Marae in Gisborne. She shared a video on Instagram of her getting a tā moko similar to Sean’s on her ring finger.

‘‘I don’t have the words right now or could begin to describe the feeling of losing you baby all I know is I don’t wish this on anyone,’’ she wrote in a message that accompanied the video.

Paige and Sean were married last year and have two children, son Kawariki and daughter Arahia.

Wainui played four matches in this season’s NPC for Bay of Plenty. He was previously with Taranaki in the NPC from 2014-20. A Givealittle page launched by the Chiefs for Wainui’s whānau has raised more than $270,000.