Helen: The Helen Meads Tragedy

Description

On the morning of 23 September 2009 Helen Meads was murdered by her husband Greg at the stables on their Matamata farm. It was the final chapter in years of control and abuse. Here, Helen's father David White describes the events of that day, and what led to it, and tells of the ordeals that a family is subjected to when one of their own is murdered.

It is a poignant and compelling story. There are issues of custody, access and bail, and looming court appearances. And often, as in this case, there is the killer's family to deal with. Finally, there is also the bureaucracy and the media that have to be faced and accepted as inevitable intrusions on the private lives of the victim's families. Families who would prefer to be left alone to grieve. 

This revised edition of Helen portrays his fifteen years of work in family violence with victims and perpetrators, why this country has the high rate of incidences that it has, why successive Governments have failed to change the trend, and offers a practical sustainable prevention solution that will make us one of the safest countries again. Helen is part of David White's ongoing campaign to reduce family violence in New Zealand. 

Author description

David White is the father of Helen Meads. He and his wife Pam raised Helen's youngest child after her murder until adulthood. He became an Ambassador for Grandparents raising Grandchildren, and advocates for the elimination of family violence in New Zeland. He was adwarded the MNZM by King Charles in 2023 for his work in this arena.