Funeral service to be held for baby found in Māngere

Local authorities in Māngere, Auckland have been swamped with offers of help to ensure the baby found abandoned in Māngere Bridge last year gets a proper burial.

Police will release the baby's body to local community leaders for a funeral service and burial at Māngere Lawn Cemetery on Saturday.

Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board member, Nick Bakulich, says Baby Mona will get a proper send off thanks to the overwhelming response from businesses and locals.

"We've already had quite a few inquiries from a number of funeral services who've wanted to offer their services for free," he says. "We've also had people who have wanted to contribute in terms of the burial cost."

PRN reports the Coroner has confirmed the baby was stillborn and was of Māori or Pacific heritage.