Four from same family face trial for death of Chinese woman Shulai Wang

Four members of the same family are on trial this week over the death of Chinese woman Shulai Wang, whose body was found in the waters of Auckland's Gulf Harbour.

A man fishing in the Whangaparaoa area on 12 March, 2024, retrieved what he initially thought could be a bag of rubbish from the water, but discovered human remains, after unwrapping layers of plastic bags.

Police took more than half a year to identify the victim as 70-year-old Shulai Wang, who'd only arrived in New Zealand from China eight months before her body was found.

A couple in their 30s - Kaixiao Liu and wife Lanyue Xiao - were the first arrested in June 2024 and were initially charged with performing an indignity to a dead human body.

The pair were eventually charged with kidnapping and manslaughter eight months into the investigation, and Liu's mother, Xiuyun Li, was also arrested and faced the same charges.

In May 2025, Kaixiao Liu's father, Jingui Liu, was charged with kidnapping and manslaughter.

Kaixiao Liu and his wife also each face a charge of perverting the course of justice by coaching Shulai Wang's son to give false evidence.

The four defendants will represent themselves at Auckland High Court trial, which begins on Monday.

In March, they unsuccessfully argued for their charges to be shelved indefinitely in a hearing at the High Court.

In April, the four defendants' identities were revealed, following a decision from the Court of Appeal.