Merc Maumasi-Rihari, 21, was killed in a head-on collision while riding his motorcycle as part of a Tribesmen gang run in Canterbury in November 2020.
Merc Maumasi-Rihari, 21, was killed in a head-on collision while riding his motorcycle as part of a Tribesmen gang run in Canterbury in November 2020.
A Tribesmen gang member was riding with a “swarm” of motorcyclists in a gang convoy when his motorbike started to wobble and he was “catapulted” into an oncoming motorist’s car and killed.
Merc Maumasi-Rihari died following the collision in Greta Valley, North Canterbury on November 2, 2020.
Coroner Alexandra Cunninghame released her findings into the 21-year-old Aucklander’s death on Monday.
Maumasi-Rihari, who worked in the construction industry, received his patch only days before his death.
He had owned a Harley Davidson for about three months. His father said he had been riding motorcycles “for about half his life”, the coroner said.
He held a Class 6 learner’s licence which was suspended at the time of his death. This licence would not have permitted him to drive the Harley Davidson.
Merc Maumasi-Rihari had only received his gang patch days before the crash.
The coroner said a police officer observed about 60 motorcyclists on State Highway 1 south of Amberley on the morning of November 2, 2020.
He said the motorcyclists, travelling together as part of a Tribesmen gang run, were “as a whole travelling extremely closely”.
The officer later saw the group leave Amberley on SH1 heading north. He said the group were still riding close together, with a less than two-second gap between riders for most of the group.
Shortly after 7.30am, a motorist travelling south on SH1 at Greta Valley noticed a “swarm” of motorcycles heading towards her, taking up the full lane.
“Length-wise, I would say they were quite bunched together. They would have been eight to 10 deep in length. They were close to each other, really bunched. Some were right on the middle line, the centre line. They took up the whole side of the road,” she told police.
The motorist said one of the motorcyclists in the middle of the pack started to wobble, and suddenly moved into the other motorcycles.
The rider was then “catapulted” off his motorbike into her car, which he hit on the front right-hand side.
The motorist said it happened so fast she did not have time to brake or steer out of the way. She pulled over and rang emergency services.
“While events unfolded at the scene, Merc’s Harley Davidson was removed from the scene by some of the Tribesmen,” the coroner said.
Merc Maumasi-Rihari was riding with members of the Tribesmen gang as part of a gang run. Photo / NZME
“Police were able to seize the motorcycle in Cheviot.”
Police were unable to get statements from the other motorcycle riders who were with Maumasi-Rihari.
The Serious Crash Unit (SCU) investigated the crash and provided a report to the coroner.
The report found the road was in “average condition”, with flushing/bleeding and new patches of seal. Maumasi-Rihari was likely riding over a patch of bleeding on an uneven portion of the road when he was thrown from his motorbike. The condition of the road, which was also wet at the time, was a “likely contributor to the crash”, the report said.
Maumasi-Rihari’s motorbike was in “good mechanical condition”. However, the tread depth on both of its tyres was below Warrant of Fitness standards.
MDMA and a synthetic cathinone were found in Maumasi-Rihari’s blood, which was also considered a potential contributor to the crash.
Merc Maumasi-Rihari's mother says her son's work ethic was "admirable".
Excess speed was not a factor in the crash, and the driver of the oncoming vehicle could not have reacted in time to avoid the crash, the report said.
Coroner Cunninghame made no recommendations in relation to the crash, but extended her condolences to Maumasi-Rihari’s family and friends.
Maumasi-Rihari’s mother, Angela Maumasi-Rihari, told the Herald she hated her son being labelled as a gang member.
“He was so much more. Merc was a loving, caring young man with so much potential. He could be anything he wanted to be.
“But I was particularly proud of how he genuinely went out of his way to ensure people were looked after.”
She said her son’s work ethic was “admirable”.
“He hated getting up, but he did every day as he was a responsible young man. I was so proud of him.”
Her son’s death had “changed our lives drastically”.
“Nothing will ever be the way things were before. Some days are better than others. And to be honest, I can’t wait to be reunited with him. But, I have others that I would like to guide and nurture as I know he would be my number-one supporter, encouraging me to do my best.”
Sam Sherwood is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers crime. He is a senior journalist who joined the Herald in 2022, and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.
