As the calendar ticked over this week to mark three years since Jason Butler’s disappearance in the Raukumara Ranges, his whānau and friends met to ensure he is never forgotten.

They gathered in the sunshine at an urupā in Rotorua on Wednesday, not to celebrate his life, but to unveil a plaque that will prompt them to hold their fond memories close.

Jason was mentally ill and had recently been discharged from hospital in October 2021 when he was taken into the bush on an unapproved work experience with a Department of Conservation contractor.

The contractor came out, but Jason did not.

For three years his family has been left to wonder what happened to him, with his parents and sister making the journey from their homes in Australia each October to spend time in the places that were special to him.

Jason’s memorial is laid between his uncle and his grandfather, among his maternal family in an urupā at Ngāpuna.

It is a location with fond memories for his eldest daughter, Maata, who recalls Jason always allowing her  to climb on his shoulders for walks around Rotorua – even when she was definitely old enough to put her own legs to use.

“I must have got to as big as eight or 10,” she said.

“He would say ‘come on my girl’ and chuck me up on his shoulders. It was the small things.”

Jason would not have had it any other way.

Maata was special to Jason, his “big girl” that no words could describe. He said that she was his everything.

She was raised in Rotorua by her maternal family, but Jason would visit often.

“Time with Dad mattered the most to me. We didn’t have to be doing anything, just being there with each other.”

As the police investigation into Jason’s disappearance stretches past the three-year mark, his whānau has been given no answers as to why he was left in the bush on his own, why it took four days for the contractor to report him missing, and what really happened in the Raukumaras.

The time that has passed since Jason went missing – the time his family has had to live in limbo – is poignant when considering his mokopuna, Maata’s daughter.

At five years old, Peighton has lived more of her life without her koro than with him.

“She came down with us to join the search. Aunty, Nan and Koro were stuck overseas,” Maata said.

“You see the time difference, definitely, with my girl being there as well.”

Peighton is well aware of who her grandfather is and has memories of visiting him at the container where he lived in Ōmaio.

Maata has had to broach the concept of “missing” with her daughter.

“As a kid, she semi-understands. When she talks about her koro, she’ll mention ‘my koro is missing.’

“It’s quite sad to hear that come from her.”

Together, Maata and her daughter continue to spend time in Jason’s container.

Although it’s different these days, the memories remain strong.

“She knows this is Koro’s. It gives us a little bit of light, that we still can go down there, be at Dad’s and keep his house lit up.”

Jason has been described as living a transient lifestyle, but Maata said he always had time for her and his granddaughter.

They could often be found together at a park, near the water, having lunch and spending quality time together.

There is no guidebook to help families experience what Jason’s has had to.

Maata said the efforts of her aunty, Huia Mackley, had been invaluable as they tried to navigate Jason’s disappearance.

Huia, Jason’s only sister, has been pushing relentlessly for answers about her brother.

With support from people in New Zealand, Huia has kept her brother at the top of people’s minds.

She said he loved to laugh, had a keen interest in hearing about her children and was deliberate about keeping the things he cared about close to him.

While Jason did not have a lot of belongings, he lived a rich life when it came to whānau.

He kept a box of photos and letters among other important things beneath his bed and had his family’s names written on the walls of his container.

Closure for the family is expected to come when findings from a coroner’s inquest are released, but Huia understands the police investigation must be complete before the inquest can start.

Frustrated at what appeared to be a lack of progress by police, Huia sought answers herself from various agencies involved.

An Official Information Act application was declined by the Department of Conservation, the Ombudsman chose not to investigate so it did not overlap with the coroner, and a complaint laid with the Health and Disability Commission has not progressed.

“We have just been waiting all this time for the police. They are just now starting to ask questions that they should have been asking from the start,” Huia said.

This year, police blamed the prolonged investigation on “higher-than-usual” workloads due to gang crime.

Some hope has been raised that police resources may be freed up after an operation this week targeting Ōpōtiki gang members saw 18 arrests made in the Bay of Plenty.

But Huia’s expectations are measured, because she said police gave her a different explanation the year her brother went missing.

“Before the gang excuse, it was Whakaari.

“We never thought that we would still be waiting three years down the track.”

It is possible a complaint to the Independent Police Conduct Authority may bear fruit, with all eyes on early December, when Huia said police were expected to have wrapped up their investigation and a meeting with the coroner is scheduled for soon after.

“If the police do complete their investigation, great; I’ll be looking forward to the hui with the coroner.”

Police said a dedicated team was assigned to the ongoing investigation into Jason’s disappearance.

Scene examinations were conducted two weekends ago, but results could not be disclosed for operational reasons.

A spokesperson said enquiries were continuing in the Ōmaio area.

“Throughout this three-year investigation, those working on the case have remained utterly committed to understanding what happened to Jason.

“We continue to liaise with Jason’s family and the coroner’s office as our investigation continues, as well as engaging with the IPCA.

“Like Jason’s family, we continue to search for answers and our thoughts are with his relatives as they pause to mark the time since Jason went missing.”

Jason’s father, Rangi Butler, said the lack of progress from the police investigation was disappointing, and he wondered what they had been doing for three years.

“When they talk to us it’s ‘gonna, gonna, gonna.’

“We rely on them and in three years, nothing has changed.”

Tui Butler, Jason’s mother, said it would mean a lot to them to be provided with answers.

She gets emotional when she reminisces with whānau about her son.

Tui and Rangi are both aged in their 70s and had planned to be buried in New Zealand, but with Jason missing, that plan has changed.

A second plaque has been laid in Albury, Australia, where Jason’s family can go to remember him.

It is the same cemetery where Tui and Rangi intend to have their ashes interred.

While Jason is presumed to be dead, his mother struggles to reconcile the concept with still not knowing where he is.

“I think that because they haven’t found him, I still haven’t accepted that he’s gone.”