A crash that happened between Pungaere and Kapiro roads in the Far North at the weekend has prompted Te Rūnanga a Iwi o Ngāpuhi Chair, Mane Tahere to call on holiday makers and whānau in Te Tai Tokerau to be extra vigilant.
“Kia haumaru to kōtiti ki Te Tai Tokerau. I nga ra o muri nei e kite ana au i nga tangata e pōrangi haere ana i nga huarahi, na te tere haere o ana motoka te take”.
“Keep safe while travelling through the North. In the last few days, I’ve seen people going crazy on the roads, speeding on their cars” he said
The serious crash happened on Saturday at about 4pm which blocked State Highway 10 at Waipapa near Kerikeri.
On person died at the scene and another was flown to hospital with serious injuries, while four others have minor injuries.
The road was closed for some time while police investigated the accident but reopened on Saturday night.
It’s due to incidents such as these that has Tahere urging people travelling any roads in Aotearoa to think before they drive.
“ĀTA HAERE TO HAERE! He nui nga tuki waka ki runga i nga rori no reira e te iwi me ĀTA HAERE TO HAERE”
“GO SLOWLY! There have been several accidents on the road so DRIVE VIGILANTLY!”
Police and other emergency services throughout New Zealand have attended eight fatal crashes so far where nine people have lost their lives.
In a statement, Police say they have attended many other serious injury crashes on our road during this time too.
Superintendent Steve Greally, Director of Road Policing says that this number is incredibly frustrating.
“There’s no excuse for any driver to be endangering their lives and those of others with unsafe behaviours” he said
“Drivers need to be clear that if they are driving distracted, or speeding or driving impaired by alcohol or drugs, they may cause a crash and possibly cut someone’s life short”
Over the Christmas period last year, 21 lives were tragically lost in road crashes, and as of 29 December this year, nine people have died on our roads this holiday period.
Police say they will continue to have a co-ordinated, highly visible Police presence at high-risk locations including State Highways and rural areas, during peak travel periods right throughout the country.
“Road deaths and serious injuries are preventable. We all need to do better and stop accepting people dying on our roads is what happens when driving”
Police say they have, over time seen that enforcement action has proven to deter people from driving dangerously, however road safety is something we must all take responsibility for.
“We should all play our part to be safe on our roads, because so far, too many families have received tragic news this holiday period”
“Ko te rori he wahi mo wa tatou whanau katoa. Tuku aroha ki tera aitua/ mate ki Waipapa I reira tetahi tangata I mate ai.
“The road is for everyone. I send my thoughts to the person that died in Waipapa” Tahere said.
Motorists should expect to see Police anytime and anywhere over this holiday break to make sure that everyone travelling the roads and highways reaches their destination safely.
“We can all work together to avoid unnecessary road trauma.
The official Christmas/New Year holiday period is from 4pm on Tuesday 24 December to 6am on Friday 3 January 2025.
