Tarawera tragedy: Samoan 'leader' and father of five killed

One person died and another 10 were injured after a vanload of Samoan workers collided with a truck on SH5, near Tarawera, on Monday. Photo / Paul Taylor

A Hawke's Bay horticultural boss says a group of Samoan seasonal workers have lost their "leader" after a man died and another 10 were injured when their van collided with a truck on State Highway 5, near Tarawera.

Emergency services were called to the two-vehicle collision on the Napier-Taupo road, near the Tarawera Cafe, between Tataraakina Rd and Pohukura Rd about 9.52am on Monday.

The van of Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers and one New Zealander, one of a convoy of three, was travelling north to Taupo for a two-day holiday.

A front-seat passenger in the van, in their 30s, died.

Thornhill Horticultural Contracting managing director, Richard Bibby, said the deceased, who is yet to be officially identified, was a "hugely respected part of our Samoan team".

"He was one of leaders of the Samoan group and had been working with us for seven years," he said.

"You'd probably say he was a little different to others who may be a little bit shy and subdued, but he was very outgoing and very loud and cheeky.

"He was a big person in all respects. He looked after his team very well," Bibby added.

The truck left the road and dropped down a 15-metre bank.

St John territory manager Brendon Hutchinson and Hawke's Bay road policing acting sergeant Nathan Ross said it was a tragic day. Photo / Paul Taylor

Of the five people transported to Hawke's Bay Hospital, a male teenager remained in a critical condition in intensive care, while two men in their 20s, one in their 30s and one in their 40s are all stable.

A Lakes District Health Board spokeswoman said two men, aged 49 and 31, have been discharged from hospital.

Three further men – one in Gisborne and two in Palmerston North – are also stable.

The truck driver was uninjured.

An Eastern District Police spokeswoman thanked members of the local community and passers-by who helped emergency services at the scene.

"From assisting with traffic control to comforting and providing blankets for the victims, it was awesome to see our community rally together in such tragic circumstances," she said.

Moments after the van had been hit, workmates rushed across the busy highway to help their friends.

Daniel Nafoitoa Ulale, 25, was in one of the first two vans that had safely turned into the cafe carpark when he heard a huge crash behind them.

"We looked over and saw the truck had crashed. We thought it was just the truck - but then we saw it had smashed into the van," he said.

Ulale ran over to help, where he found a number of the workers stuck inside the van.

One of those men, he said, had been sitting in the front passenger seat and would later be pronounced dead.

Video footage taken at the scene shows several young men wrapped in blankets as colleagues, members of the public and emergency services help them.

Another friend said they would never forget their mate, who had come to New Zealand in a bid to seek a better life and future for his young family, but had died in the process.

"I'll never forget you, brother," he said.

In the background, St John paramedics can be seen working on a man lying on the ground, as friends gather around him - one who breaks down crying, calling out his dead friend's name.

"We just heard someone say [he] had died. Just shocked. He was a family man - he was gentle and respectful, the bro was," Ulale said.

He was known for being a proud husband and father of five. His youngest child is still a baby, Ulale said.

Hawke's Bay Police senior constable and serious crash analyst Tim Rowe said it appeared to have been caused by a "momentary lapse in concentration".

"State Highway 5 is one of the deadliest highways in New Zealand," Ross, who noted it was drizzling at the time of the crash, said.

"Unfortunately, a lot of it comes down to driving behaviour."

Police are continuing their investigation into the crash.