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A bus driver accused of fatally assaulting a man at a South Auckland bus stop has appeared for the first time in the High Court at Auckland for a charge of manslaughter. 

During the brief hearing, defence lawyer Tua Saseve asked that pleas not immediately be entered for Mikaele Ah Fook, 34. 

Justice Mathew Downs allowed the delay, ordering Ah Fook to return to court in two weeks for the process to be completed. The judge also delayed setting a trial date until the next hearing. 

Auckland resident Peter Mark Te Kira, 61, was found unconscious at a Papatoetoe bus stop on Great South Rd on the afternoon of Sunday, April 27. 

He died several days later, in the intensive care unit at Auckland City Hospital. 

In a tribute after his death, his daughter described him as “the most hard-working man”. 

Peter Te Kira died on Wednesday 30 April after he was allegedly assaulted by a bus driver on Great South Rd in Papatoetoe, Auckland, on 27 April. Photo / Supplied 

Te Kira and Ah Fook had been known to each other, Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Hayward said last month. 

Ah Fook was initially charged out of Manukau District Court with assault. The charge was upgraded to manslaughter last month, at which point it was transferred to the High Court. 

Auckland Transport confirmed to the Herald that Ah Fook was taken off duty after the incident. 

”We were devastated to hear about this incident and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragic event,“ said Stacey van der Putten, AT director of public transport and active modes. 

She noted that Ah Fook was employed by Go Bus, a company that contracts with AT to provide services. 

“AT is taking this incident extremely seriously and both AT and Go Bus are assisting police,” she said. 

A small crowd sat in the front row of the courtroom gallery during the hearing, leaving after Ah Fook, who is on bail, was allowed to leave the dock. 

He was ordered to return to the High Court on June 25. 

Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.