The Kapiti Coast community has wrapped its arms around a local family who lost their 11-year-old child in sudden circumstances on the weekend.
Jacob Tate failed to wake up from his sleep on Saturday at the family's home.
"He slept in longer in the morning than he would usually and thinking he was just tired from school they let him sleep in," spokesperson for the Tate family Abby Woollaston told the New Zealand Herald.
"When it got close to 9am they were thinking this is a long sleep-in, even for him, and went to check on him.
"Opening the curtains, and finding Jacob still not responding, Andy turned him over and immediately knew there was something wrong."
Attempts to resuscitate Jacob while emergency services rushed to the scene were unsuccessful.
"They are still trying to work out what happened. It happened so suddenly, there was no warning."
A Givealittle page setup to support the family after the sudden loss has raised over $50,000 since being created three days ago.
"These funds are going to help so much in the coming weeks to cover what needs to be paid and buffer the family through this time of mourning," Woollaston wrote to contributors on the page.
Jacob's mum, Rachel Tate, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 and has struggled to work in her self-employed job since.
"They were already on the back foot with Rachel who is self-employed not being able to work much so this support means a lot.
"They're being carried at the moment by their faith and the love of everybody else," Woollaston told the Herald.
The coroner is currently looking into the cause of Jacob's death.
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