A 20-year-old Far North man has pleaded guilty to charges laid over the hit-and-run death of a man in Kaitaia in January.
Bayley Te Kohu Karena Goodhue appeared in Kaitaia District Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to charges of driving with excess alcohol causing death, driving whilst disqualified and failing to stop/ascertain injury.
Goodhue was driving the car that smashed into 54-year-old Edward Waenga as he was sitting on a bench outside the Central Dairy, adjacent to the Post Office, in Kaitaia's main street a shortly after 1am on January 12. Goodhue then ran from the scene.
Goodhue was further remanded in custody after entering those pleas before Judge Jonathan Down, but is scheduled to appear again today to apply for bail. A date for the sentencing is expected to be decided today.
He has yet to plead to an unrelated charge of burglary.