The tangi for Wiremu Lawrence, brother of New Zealand rugby sevens star Zar Lawrence, has been held in the Far North.
Wiremu, 15, was killed when the car he was driving crashed into a tree in Auckland early on Saturday morning. His body was brought to the family marae at Whatuwhiwhi,
near Doubtless Bay.
Zar, 27, learned of his younger brother's death later on Saturday morning but played on with the New Zealand team in the Hong Kong sevens tournament.
Zar starred with a two-try haul in a 17-5 pool win over Australia and scored the only try in their 7-10 quarterfinal loss to Kenya.
Gordon Tietjens, who has coached the veteran sevens star for several seasons, had admiration for the player's decision to remain in Hong Kong.
"It certainly has been a tough time for Zar and he gave his very very best. We saw how good a player he is yesterday and then again today," Tietjens said.
"It was a big decision to stay from both he and his family and we all supported that decision. Our chemistry is very close and we did everything we could to win this tournament for Zar and his brother."
