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RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Witness describes boat impaling car in crash that killed mum Nateisha-Kurstyn Pareteoro Hana-Wetere
Nateisha-Kurstyn Pareteoro Hana-Wetere died following a crash near Te Kuiti on 11 July. She was in the car with her three-year-old son who survived Photo: Supplied A driver involved in a fatal crash after their boat and trailer unit broke free , colliding with an oncoming vehicle stayed at the scene and spoke with police, one of the first people on the scene has confirmed. It comes after police said they were "following positive lines of enquiry regarding an individual and will look to speak with them in due course". Nateisha-Kurstyn Pareteoro Hana-Wetere's brother Te Huia Brown-Hana told RNZ his sister was driving near Te Kūiti on her way back home to Auckland after a holiday in New Plymouth on 11 July when the crash occurred. The 23-year-old's car was struck by a boat and trailer unit that had detached from an oncoming black SUV. Hana-Wetere died as a result of the crash. Her three-year-old son was also in the car, Brown-Hana said. RNZ asked police for comment on the investigation last week.. A police spokesperson said: "Police are following positive lines of enquiry regarding an individual and will look to speak with them in due course. Nateisha-Kurstyn Pareteoro Hana-Wetere was described as "larger than life" by loved-ones. Photo: Supplied "Police are not seeking anyone else at this time." A man who was one of the first on the scene contacted RNZ after Brown -Hana appealed for the driver to come forward . The man, who RNZ has agreed not to name, said the driver of the car which was towing the boat and trailer unit was "in no shape or form to go anywhere or do anything." "The police talked to him and interviewed him," he said. The man told RNZ how he had just pulled into the left lane of a double lane near Te Kūiti when the crash occurred. "I looked up, and here's this bloody car, her car coming back at me with a boat impaled in the front of it and everything stopped. I locked up everything and only stopped a couple of paces from the bloody car." The driver of the car that had been towing the boat pulled over and stopped, he said. "He was totally unaware of what was about to happen or anything like that." The man said he got Hana-Wetere's son out of the car as his wife called emergency services. Hana-Wetere's brother told RNZ after hearing the witnesses comments he wanted to thank the driver for not fleeing and "actually facing his consequences". Hana-Wetere pictured with her young son. Photo: Supplied Brown-Hana said his sister was "larger than life". She was caring, and had a "bubbly" personality. "She was everything you could have wanted and more in terms of a sibling. "She always accepted everyone for who they were. She didn't pass judgement on no-one." Hana-Wetere's partner was working in Australia, and she was planning to eventually join him. Brown-Hana said his sister was in a great place in her life. She had recently moved to Auckland, with her brother helping her pick up furniture and other items for the home. "She had everything going - she started planning out what she wanted in her life and how she wanted to get there and she was actually doing really well," he said. "Her child had anything and everything he could have needed - nothing came before him and nothing came after him. It was only him and him only." Brown-Hana said his nephew was constantly asking his dad and others: "Where's mummy?" "I tell him 'mummy's gone to sleep my boy. One day you'll see your mum again. But for the moment my boy she's asleep. She's too tired'." Brown-Hana said he was worried about the emotional toll on the little boy. "It's that mental thing that's going to play on him for the rest of his life. Knowing that at three years old he had to watch his mum die and he couldn't save her." Brown-Hana said the whānau had experienced an array of emotions in the past month, including sorrow that no-one had been held responsible. "It's unfair that we are robbed of her grace and we don't have any answers to why or how or what's going to happen to who stole it, who stole her existence. "All we can do is rally around together as a whānau and just hope eventually at some point we get an answer." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Mother died in crash after boat and trailer unit from oncoming car broke free
Nateisha-Kurstyn Pareteoro Hana-Wetere died following a crash near Te Kuiti on 11 July. She was in the car with her three-year-old son who survived. Photo: Supplied A mother driving home to Auckland with her three-year-old son in the back seat was killed when a boat and trailer unit broke free from an oncoming vehicle and slammed into their car. When emergency services arrived, the little boy - who suffered whiplash and bruises - told them his mother was dead and showed them where her phone was so they could contact his family. A month after the crash that killed Nateisha-Kurstyn Pareteoro Hana-Wetere, her family are appealing for the driver of the vehicle to come forward. Hana-Wetere's brother Te Huia Brown-Hana told RNZ his sister was driving near Te Kūiti on her way back home to Auckland after a holiday in New Plymouth on 11 July when the crash occurred. Nateisha-Kurstyn Pareteoro Hana-Wetere died following a crash near Te Kuiti on 11 July. Photo: Supplied The 23-year-old's car was struck by a boat and trailer unit that had detached from an oncoming black SUV. Hana-Wetere died as a result of the crash. Her three-year-old son was also in the car, Brown-Hana said. "He had to sit there and watch his mum pass away. And then on top of that, when the emergency services arrived, he jumps out of the car with nobody around him but strangers and tells them his name and his mum's dead," he said. "There's a point where he shows them her phone to contact her mum." Brown-Hana said it was "disheartening" that the driver was at large. "I'm not much of an emotional person, but knowing my nephew had to suffer, my sister had to suffer and then my nephew had no one there - that's broken my heart. "It just hurts me to know that somebody can just walk away and not give two flying shoots about the child that's just lost a mother." Brown-Hana said his sister was "larger than life". She was caring, and had a "bubbly" personality. "She was everything you could have wanted and more in terms of a sibling. "She always accepted everyone for who they were. She didn't pass judgement on no-one." Nateisha-Kurstyn Pareteoro Hana-Wetere died following a crash near Te Kuiti on 11 July. Photo: Supplied Hana-Wetere's partner was working in Australia, and she was planning to eventually join him. Brown-Hana said his sister was in a great place in her life. She had recently moved to Auckland, with her brother helping her pick up furniture and other items for the home. "She had everything going - she started planning out what she wanted in her life and how she wanted to get there and she was actually doing really well," he said. "Her child had anything and everything he could have needed - nothing came before him and nothing came after him. It was only him and him only." Brown-Hana said his nephew was constantly asking his dad and others: "Where's mummy?" "I tell him 'mummy's gone to sleep my boy. One day you'll see your mum again. But for the moment my boy she's asleep. She's too tired'." Brown-Hana said he was worried about the emotional toll on the little boy. "It's that mental thing that's going to play on him for the rest of his life. Knowing that at three years old he had to watch his mum die and he couldn't save her." He had a message for the driver of the vehicle and wanted them to come forward. "It takes a real, genuine human being to accept their faults. "That was a life you took, not just one life, but you stole from two people, my sister who passed and her son that now has to grow up without a mother. You could have done the right thing and just pulled over and checked. "Imagine your son, your moko, your nephew, your brother, three years old, sitting there having to watch your whanau, his mum die. Come on, we all got a heart. We all got a heart, we all make mistakes, but what really makes a human being of yourself is being able to accept your wrong, being able to accept the consequences." Brown-Hana said the whanau had experienced an array of emotions in the past month, including sorrow that no-one had been held responsible. "It's unfair that we are robbed of her grace and we don't have any answers to why or how or what's going to happen to who stole it, who stole her existence. "All we can do is rally around together as a whanau and just hope eventually at some point we get an answer." A police spokesperson said on Monday that inquiries into the crash were ongoing. "Police are following positive lines of enquiry regarding an individual and will look to speak with them in due course. "Police are not seeking anyone else at this time." Detective Sergeant Harry Hodgson earlier said police wanted to hear from anyone who witnessed the crash or anyone who saw a southbound black SUV towing the boat prior to the crash. Police also wanted to hear from any witnesses who left the scene of the crash before emergency services arrived, or anyone who drove past the crash immediately after it had occurred. "This includes the driver of a white ute that was heading south, and white flat-deck ute with a large blue box on the rear, and a Nissan SUV, both heading north," Hodgson said. Anyone who had dashcam footage or was travelling in either direction on State Highway 3 between Otorohanga and Piopio between 11am and 11.30am should also contact the police, he said. Anyone with information can contact police on line or via 105 and quote reference number 250711/6167. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
1News
24-07-2025
- Sport
- 1News
Kiwi Toa Henderson wins Royal Welsh Open shearing title
Two Kiwi shearers have made it onto the podium at the Royal Welsh Open All Nations Shearing Championship this morning. Toa Henderson from Northland took out first place in the competition, winning the memorial trophy, the crystal award and £600 (NZ$1347). The 35-year-old, who won the Golden Shears and New Zealand Open championships' double in March, blasted through the 20 Welsh speckle lambs in under 12m 38 seconds, to be first off the board in the six-man final. Former Royal Welsh Open winner and defending champion Jack Fagan from Te Kuiti placed third, just 0.15pts behind in his bid to win the title for a third time. Coming in sixth was a third New Zealand shearer, Matt Smith, from Northland and Hawke's Bay. ADVERTISEMENT Henderson told the crowd he felt "pretty good" taking the Welsh title in his first season. Northland's Toa Henderson took out first place in the competition. (Source: 1News) "Awesome final, I really enjoyed it. To all my family back home, I'm rapt with this," he told the cheering crowd. He also acknowledged his wife Phoebe, saying it was her birthday today. The overall test series went to the Welsh team, claiming their second win on the home stage. It was the 50th anniversary of the Royal Welsh championship.
RNZ News
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- RNZ News
State Highway three closed following serious crash in Te Kūiti
SH3 is closed between Te Kūiti and SH4. Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller State Highway 3 near Te Kūiti is closed following a serious crash. Police confirmed a boat was involved. A spokesperson said initial indications suggested there were serious injuries. New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), said the road had been closed at 12.45pm on Friday between Te Kūiti and SH4. "Delay your journey and expect long delays," it said. MORE TO COME... Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
23-06-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Hospital staff concerned about combined cleaner-security officer roles
Photo: LDR Combining the roles of cleaners and security guards into one job at two rural Waikato hospitals has left staff worried about their own safety and that of patients. And the scheme's cost savings haven't been as much as predicted. These are among findings in a report obtained by Checkpoint about the introduction of the scheme - which Health New Zealand calls integrated cleaning, attendant and security services - at Te Kuiti and Tokoroa hospitals. It was previously introduced in Thames and Taumarunui hospitals. As Checkpoint revealed last month, the combined roles began a year ago and Health NZ did a post-implementation review in April. It found while the cleaning side of the arrangement is going well, hospital staff say they're not getting the level of security services required and they hold safety concerns. Staff said security officers-cleaners from a cleaning background weren't trained for the job, and that the two jobs conflicted, meaning pre-emptive action during an escalating situation was impossible if a worker was away cleaning. A rural Waikato nurse, who RNZ has agreed not to name, said she wanted the jobs to separate again. "I'd like for them to listen to us and hear our cries for help," she said. "We've put in complaints and concerns about our security issues and how we feel the security guards are actually unfit to proceed with the job they're meant to be doing, or they aren't doing their job." Although some were reliable, she said staff held concerns about others. RNZ has previously reported that at Te Kuiti Hospital one cleaner-security officer is on duty overnight, with two nurses. The Waikato nurse said it was impossible to expect the cleaner-security officers to be in two places at once. "I don't think [cleaning] should be a role integrated with security. It literally makes no sense. They've got nothing to do with each other. It just baffles my mind. "It's like making someone who works at a gas station pump gas but also pack your groceries all at the same time. Why would you do that?" The Health NZ report said the move was partly about cost efficiency. It was expected to save $207,300 in its first year, but only shaved $137,300. The reports cited some benefits, such as flexibility of work roles, lower costs and consistency among the rural Waikato hospitals, but recommended improving security after deficits were identified. Among the "lessons learned" was the definition and responsibilities of the new roles weren't clearly stated or understood. It also recommended consideration of a future review, which the nurse hoped would be more thorough. "Pretty much every nurse that I work with does not like it. It doesn't function as well as they think it might," she said. "Reading the report, I feel like there were actually quite a few issues that weren't mentioned that I remember writing as a response to the questions [when staff were surveyed]." That included the preference to break up the jobs. The report said there was a perception there wasn't enough communication and consultation before the change. The nurse agreed. "It's pretty much someone sitting at a desk and saying: 'We can do this.' They talk about how they should have gone to us and given us more information beforehand instead of just springing it on us. "Yes, we definitely agree [this] needed to be done. There needed to be more notice, but also I think there should have been: 'This is the job we're thinking of putting in. Do you think it's going to work?'" Now, if the security officer-cleaner wasn't around when an incident unfolded, medical staff had to try to make it to a phone to call for help, leaving a potentially unsafe situation. The report said staff were issued with personal duress alarms, although it noted there was limited staff understanding of this, and the devices weren't maintained or used. There were also security improvements made to the hospitals, such as clearing vegetation. The E Tū union represents hospital workers such as security officers and cleaners. Its director responsible for health, Mat Danaher, said not having enough staff, and inadequate facilities, due to a lack of funding meant the combined roles didn't have a chance. "What happens if you've got one operative who's supposed to be doing an urgent clean to make something safe and in the meantime a fight's breaking out and you need two people to go and help deal with that? "It can't be done and I think that's what we're seeing the effect of here." No one was happy with the current arrangement, he said. "It's a matter of time before someone dies - we have a death that could be prevented. That's literally what we're talking about. "It is a life and death matter." Health NZ senior manager Stephanie Doe said it was committed to providing an environment where staff and visitors felt safe, and it received advice from its national chief security adviser on improvements to the rural Waikato arrangement. The review was of the scheme's implementation, not the model itself, and its roll out had achieved its objectives, she said. There hadn't been any recent significant security incidents at Waikato hospitals. "At Te Kuiti and Tokoroa, security staff are onsite 24-7, including within the vicinity of ED [the emergency department] and ward at night. We encourage staff faced with a hostile situation to call police."
