A judge was forced to leave the courtroom and a defence lawyer told court security to “f**king arrest them all” during a brawl at the High Court at Wellington this morning.

The courtroom scuffle only lasted 30 seconds before security broke it up, but police say it continued on Molesworth St directly outside Parliament. Armed officers then responded and closed the street.

Police say two people were injured.

Today was the first High Court appearance for three people charged in relation to the murder of Stokes Valley man Rawiri Wharerau.

The public gallery was close to full with around 40 people inside, with one side supporting the defendants and the other full of Wharerau’s family.

As a defendant was taken back to the cells both sides of the public gallery yelled at the man, sparking the brawl.

A member of the victim’s family attempted to scale the 2m perspex screen separating the courtroom from the public gallery before security pulled them down. Much of the rest of the two groups scuffled with one another in the gallery.

Police responded to a brawl inside the Wellington High Court this morning. Photo / Ethan Griffiths 

Ten police cars, a paddy wagon, and two ambulances arrived outside the court, which is directly across the road from Parliament, shortly afterwards. 

Police said they responded to reports of disorder on Molesworth St around 9.40am. Some are believed to have gang links. 

A 33-year-old East Coast man and a 22-year-old Stokes Valley woman are jointly accused of murdering 39-year-old Wharerau on December 16 during a relative’s 50th birthday party. They are also jointly accused of attempting to murder his brother, Hemi Wharerau, and unlawfully possessing a firearm. 

The 22-year-old woman was also charged with assaulting Hemi Wharerau using a firearm as a weapon. 

A 53-year-old woman is accused of being an accessory after the fact by feeding the co-defendants and providing transport and telecommunications to enable them to avoid arrest. 

Today was the first High Court appearance for the trio. 

All three defendants were granted a continuation of name suppression, which elicited groans from the family of the victim. 

Rawiri Wharerau lived at the George St house where the shooting took place and was found by police lying at the front of his home, surrounded by people trying to resuscitate him. He died at the scene, while his 41-year-old brother was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. 

Detective Inspector Haley Ryan earlier confirmed that Rawiri Wharerau was a patched member of Mangu Kaha — a gang associated with Black Power. 

During the birthday celebration an incident had occurred and spilled out onto the street, leading to the shooting, Ryan said. 

Ethan Griffiths covers crime and justice stories nationwide for Open Justice. He joined NZME in 2020, previously working as a regional reporter in Whanganui and South Taranaki.