West Auckland woman admits to pouring weed killer in elderly mum’s tea before setting home on fire

A New Zealand woman’s chilling attempt to poison her elderly mother and burn down her home has been laid bare, with the daughter behind the crimes confessing.

The 51-year-old West Auckland woman, who cannot be named, fronted New Zealand’s High Court on Wednesday morning after pouring weed killer into her 83-year-old mother’s tea in a shocking attempt on her life.

The woman pled guilty to one count of arson and a reduced charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm through poisoning.

The court heard that the 51-year-old had made the poisoned cup of tea at around 8.30am on June 28 and brought it to the octogenarian’s bedside before leaving the West Auckland home.

“Half of the cup contained Round Up, while the other half contained tea,” the summary of facts quoted by the NZ Herald said.

It is understood the mother had only consumed one sip of the tea, with news outlet Stuff revealing she later told police she thought the drink smelt and tasted “odd”.

The single sip was not enough to cause any damage to the victim.

The 51-year-old returned to the property later that morning, where she and her mother reportedly engaged in a verbal altercation before the 83-year-old left the home.

Court records state the woman then deliberately lit three fires inside the home — using matches, paper, and an accelerant to spark blazes inside her mother’s bedroom and lounge room.

One fire caused moderate damage to the lounge.

The 51-year-old woman was discovered minutes later outside the home by neighbours, who called authorities after observing smoke billowing from the property

Firefighters extinguished the blaze shortly after arriving at the scene.

Shortly after, the woman admitted to police she had deliberately added a “small cup of Roundup” to the tea before serving it to her mother.

“She stated that she wanted the complainant ‘out of her life’ and said her intention was to kill her mother,” a court summary quoted by Stuff said.

The 51-year-old also admitted to deliberately setting the three fires, saying burning the house down was an “act of revenge” against her mother.

She told police she had been diagnosed with schizophrenia for 20 years but stated she was medicated and up to date with her treatment.

A search of the property by police uncovered the tainted mug of tea and the bottle of weed killer.

The mother was not injured during the incident but was transported to hospital by authorities as a precaution.

Urine testing conducted on the 83-year-old confirmed the presence of glyphosate, a harmful chemical in the herbicide that can be fatal when ingested.

The Crown Prosecutor has stated the mother has expressed interest in the restorative justice process, which could mitigate the woman’s sentence.

The 51-year-old has been remanded in custody until her sentencing hearing in February.