The death of a man who lost control of his ute at an industrial site in the isolated settlement of Taharoa, 70km west of Otorohanga will be investigated by the Department of Labour.
Senior Sergeant Rob Van Kalken said 44-year-old Taharoa man died when his Toyota Hi-lux left the track and hit steel pipes and a metal structure in an iron-sand pit area at the Ironsands site in Taharoa about 8.30am.
Earlier reports that the vehicle was reversing at the time of the incident were wrong.
A spokeswoman from the Department of Labour said colleagues would make initial inquiries.
It will be up to the coroner to determine the cause of death, as the crash happened at a work site.
