Devoted family man: Father killed after crane touched overhead powerlines in Auckland suburb of Greenhithe

Wesley Talakai with his wife Tasha and two boys.

The father of a Christian homeschool family, Wesley Talakai, is the person who died when a raised crane touched power lines in the Auckland suburb of Greenhithe last weekend.

Lisa McKenzie, a friend of Talakai’s wife Tasha through home-schooling, confirmed to the Herald that Wesley died in the tragic accident, leaving behind his wife and two boys, aged 12 and 5.

“They are the nicest, most loving family. He was so devoted to her and anyone they came into contact with, they carried light and were nice to everyone, and like a really sweet family.

“It’s sad for anybody but heart-wrenching for this family because they were so closely connected,” McKenzie said.

She said the family is Tongan and lives in Pakuranga. Relatives are coming from Tonga for the funeral next week and the Tongan community in Auckland is rallying behind the family.

Police cordon on Tauhnu Rd in Greenhithe after a Hiab truck hit a powerline, killing Wesley Talakai person at the scene. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

In a Facebook post, McKenzie said the family is devastated and shocked by the loss of Wesley.

In a Givealittle page set up to raise money for the family, Wesley Talakai is remembered as a “devoted, loving, and involved husband and father.

“Let’s help this beautiful Christian homeschooling family through our donations, which will allow a bit of breathing space, by paying to keep a roof over their heads, food, electricity, and other basic necessities,” the page said.

Nearly $4500 had been raised for the family by noon today.

WorkSafe has launched an investigation into the incident on August 5 when a raised crane touched power lines at a worksite.

The investigation could take up to 12 months with a spokesperson saying it could not comment while it was under way.

Police have said the person who died cannot yet be formally named.

A woman described seeing paramedics performing CPR on the person after emergency services rushed to Tauhinu Rd in Greenhithe at 3.23pm.

One resident said the crane operators had been struggling to lift objects from the back of the truck all week.

“The truck was on a steep angle in the driveway, and the crane operator had three packets of timber, was struggling to lift one, and was trying to reach as far as he could,” he said.

“Obviously, the crane went too high.”

The raised crane sitting outside the property.

Another neighbour said she saw the victim lying on the ground after the accident, covered by a sheet.

“He’s hit the power line above the building site, but then they came and picked up the body and took him away.”

Another witness also saw emergency services frantically doing CPR on the victim.

“One of the police officers asked us not to look at the site,” one neighbour said.

He believed more safeguards should have been in place because the contractors were working “in such proximity to power lines”.

Several neighbours were forced to park in adjacent streets and have police walk them through to their houses after the accident.

Some of them lost power for three to four hours.

Vector said it switched off power in the immediate area to help emergency services and it was restored just before 7.30pm that night.