[1] Hana was a self-proclaimed devotee of the Māori sun god Tama-nui-te-rā[2] and claimed that he should wear as few items of clothing as possible, as an act of religious observance.

[1] It is believed Hana chose to live on the streets after killing a friend in a drunk-driving incident,[3] as a form of self-penance.

[1] Hana visited the South Island for the first time in 2010, was arrested, charged, and flown home after being provided with a shower and new overalls.

[9] In 2010, a judge ordered that Hana be detained under the Mental Health Act 1992, and he was admitted to Wellington Hospital's psychiatric ward Te Whare O Matairangi, where "he will have clean clothes, regular meals, and no access to drink and drugs".

As someone who departed from the patterns of normal behaviour, Hana had become a figure of amusement, sympathy, disgust, and even some academic interest.

[citation needed] Among those who paid tribute were Wellington mayor Celia Wade-Brown and sports athlete Sonny Bill Williams.