“I just want to put out (there) that he was a decent person,” his relative told the Herald.
“He had a drive in him, in business, and in politics. He could have been really successful, he wanted to succeed in life.
“We didn’t have that in this side of the family, so he had a strong spirit in that regard.”
Despite his turbulent life and controversies, his relative said, “no one has to be left [on the road] like that”.
Love had been featured in media as a groundbreaking entrepreneur for his cafe chain and “fresh” take on politics.
He had a cafe chain that folded during the Covid-19 pandemic, called Eightyeight Cups. He also had hole-in-the-wall stores on Beach Rd and two on Queen St.
Love was charged with sexual assault after accosting a 17-year-old girl in her car and rubbing her leg in Blenheim in 2021 and was convicted of assault, Stuff reported at the time.
He also ran for Auckland’s mayoralty in 2019 and ran for the Auckland Central electorate as an Opportunities Party candidate in 2020 before resigning from the party amid a public falling out.
He had been accused of turning up to a party meeting hungover, and an internal complaint against him said he behaved in an “entirely unacceptable” way and was “aggressive and confrontational to the point that you made the board member feel unsafe”, Newshub reported at the time.
His family, meanwhile, took to social media and revealed Love died on his birthday.
“My heart is broken to see this happen to my stepson. May God give him rest. I will forever miss him and his beautiful smile. There was never a bad word about anyone from him.
“Rest in peace, my son”.
A witness to his death who called the police last Friday told RNZ the fact no one stopped for Love was “disgusting”.
Police have been combing CCTV footage and were asking the public to contact 105 and quote file number 250207/4077 or call Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 to report information anonymously.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
