Officials are looking to facilitate urgent travel to New Zealand for South African family members of the three sisters allegedly murdered by their mother in Timaru.
Lauren Dickason, 40, appeared in the Timaru District Court on Saturday morning charged with murdering the three young girls on Thursday evening. An application for name suppression was withdrawn at the hearing and she was remanded to a secure forensic mental health unit until her next court appearance on October 5.
The sisters - Liane, 6, and two-year-old twins Maya and Karla - were found dead by their father Graham Dickason, who returned to their Queen St residence before 10pm. Emergency services soon converged on the property, with the mother initially being taken to hospital.
The family had only arrived in Timaru a week before after moving to New Zealand from Pretoria in South Africa and spending time in managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ). Both parents are medical practitioners, with Graham working at the local hospital.
Anyone entering the country must stay in a MIQ facility for at least two weeks due to COVID-19.
Associate deputy secretary of MIQ Andrew Milne told Newshub "we are deeply sympathetic to the family here and overseas at this time".
"We are working with the family through the police liaison officers to facilitate any urgent travel to NZ to provide support for family members in Timaru."
It comes as people who knew the family before their move to Aotearoa express shock.
"I cannot comprehend what happened. She is a medical doctor and she wasn't arrogant or anything like that. She was very humble," Natasja le Roux, a former colleague and neighbour, told South African media outlet TimesLIVE.
Le Roux, who described Lauren as "really just a nice person", said the couple had struggled to conceive their children.
"They waited years for those children because she had troubles with fertility and stuff, so it really is a big shock."
Another neighbour said the parents "adored those children".
"Something just doesn't seem right to us. We don't know what happened. There is not a lot of information, but they are kind people," the anonymous former neighbour said.
They questioned whether Lauren had struggled to cope with "the stress from New Zealand, moving there, being quarantined for so long and everything".
Mandy Sibanyoni, who cared for the children for three years in Pretoria, told TimesLIVE that she never saw any of the family members fight.
"When they went on vacation, I went with them. I went a lot of places with them. I never saw a bad side from them or their family members. All of them they treated me well and I treated them the same way. The communication was good."
She said when she last spoke to Lauren in June "everything was in and she was happy she was going".
The caregiver said she was "shattered" and "not coping".
Area commander Insp Dave Gaskin said on Friday the incident "will be incredibly distressing for Timaru residents, particularly coming so soon after the town lost five of their young people in a crash", even if the family hadn't been in town very long.
"Police are working with our partner agencies to ensure that support is wrapped around those most directly affected by the tragic events of last night, and the wider community and we urge anyone who needs support to reach out".
South Canterbury district health board chief executive Jason Power expressed sorrow at the incident "which involved a South Canterbury DHB team member".
"This tragedy has affected many of our staff, at this time our focus is to provide our full support to our staff member and to our staff," he said.
"It's natural to feel distressed by what's happened, and I encourage anyone who needs to talk to call or text 1737 – any time of the day or night - there are trained counsellors available 24/7. You can also talk to your own general practice team.
"Thank you to everyone who has offered support and kind messages, including our colleagues from other DHBs."
