Jaydus' whānau holding his picture, mother Marissa, father Huata and sister Kandis. Photo / Paul Taylor
Jaydus' whānau holding his picture, mother Marissa, father Huata and sister Kandis. Photo / Paul Taylor
A young man who died in a Hastings crash has been remembered as a multi-talented leader with a special connection to his friends, whānau and tikanga Māori.
Jaydus Hungahunga died after a collision between a car and a truck on Anderson Rd, in Whakatu, on his way to his induction at a Silver Fern Farms job on Friday morning last week.
The 19-year-old's mother Marissa Charman and father Huata Hungahunga remember him as a young man who wore his heart on his sleeve.
"He was humble, respectful, caring, didn't like confrontation, arguments, anything negative or angry. If there was something he could do for you, he'd do it," Marissa said.
His partner Shahntae Waimaria Ngawhika described him as a role model for other young people.
As well as being one of eight students in 2018 praised by St John paramedics after helping an elderly woman in Frimley Park after a fall, he participated in a haka with Hastings Boys' High School and did a kōrero at the hikoi to pay tribute to the victims of the Christchurch shooting on its one year anniversary.
Marissa, Huata and Shahntae all said Jaydus loved to pull faces and repeat the word "cheekie" until his friends were crying with laughter.
"He loved jamming the game with all his boys repeatedly screaming the word 'cheekie' so many times, it got annoying. But still, we loved him for being him."
Shahntae said her partner dreamed of starting a family and being the best father he could be.
"We had a plan to move to Australia with his older brother, after he turned 21. He wanted to get his black belt before moving there. What he really wanted to do, was make everyone proud.
"He wanted to work with me. We made a plan to get rich and start our own kōhanga one day. One of his biggest dreams was to wear a mataora [facial tattoo]."
She said his hobbies included gyming, rapping to instrumentals with "his bros" and listening to reggae.
Jaydus with his partner Shahntae. Photo / Supplied
"The print he left behind was a print stained to all of our hearts."
Jaydus has an older brother, Cypress Hungahunga, and a younger sister Kandis Hungahunga.
Marissa thanked everybody who had supported the whānau.
She had a cautionary message for young drivers.
"Make sure you're alright before you get behind the wheel if you're tired. Go have another sleep if you think you need to. Have a good rest because you are important."
