A Hastings community has been left reeling from the sudden loss of a man dedicated to his whanau, tikanga Maori, and sharing his knowledge with the next generation.
On Sunday 43-year-old Stewart James Niwa Vercoe - known as Niwa - died as a result of a two-car crash on the Napier-Taupo rd near Te Haroto.
The father is being remembered for the role he played in the Flaxmere community, and the teachings he provided to students at Flaxmere Primary School, where he taught kapa haka.
Staff and students at the school gathered yesterday morning to "remember such a great and humble man".
"Words can't express how saddened we are that Matua Niwa, our teacher in Room 13, has tragically been taken away from us," the school wrote in a social media post.
"Kaaore te kumara e koorero moo toona ake reka. The sweet potato does not speak of its own sweetness. This proverbs accentuates the value of humbleness. Matua Niwa Vercoe was exactly that to us and more, here at Flaxmere Primary School."
Yesterday principal Robyn Isaacson said she was unable to comment further.
Mr Vercoe was travelling with the family at the time of the crash. They remain in Hawke's Bay Hospital. A Hawke's Bay District Health Board spokeswoman confirmed last night his wife, Miri, had moved from a critical to a serious but stable condition. Two boys in the car, Raturoa and Tuhoe, were in serious but stable conditions.