Driver in fatal crash was earlier stopped for speeding

The scene of a fatal crash in which the three occupants of the car were killed and at the driver of the ute airlifted to hospital in a serious condition on SH2 at Maramarua. Photo / NZPA

The driver of a car involved in a triple fatality on Tuesday night had been stopped earlier in the day for speeding and carrying unauthorised passengers, police say.

Te Maungarongo Kingi, his cousin Mary Jane Te Purei and their friend Tiata Maxwell - all 18, of Gisborne - suffered fatal injuries when the Ford Probe they were in slid and T-boned an eastbound Ford Courier ute on State Highway 12 at Maramarua on Tuesday night.

The trio, who were on their way to collect some of Miss Maxwell's clothes in Auckland, died at the scene, a moderate 85km/h corner between the Pink Pig cafe and the Maramarua garage, as passers-by, volunteer firefighters and St John's paramedics tried to help.

The ute driver, from Rotorua, was flown to Auckland's Middlemore Hospital and reported to be in a stable condition.

Inspector Paul Carpenter today said the trio's car had been stopped for travelling at 130kmh at Matawai, west of Gisborne earlier in the day.

He said a traffic infringement notice found in the vehicle showed the driver had also been in breach of her graduated drivers licence, carrying unauthorised passengers.

"Under current legislation Police can only issue an infringement notice, not seize the vehicle, tragically the trio's trip to South Auckland came to an abrupt end in the Waikato on Tuesday night," he said.

Skella Campbell, Mr Kingi's aunt and grandmother to Miss Te Purei, said she received a phone call from her daughter shortly after midnight yesterday telling her Miss Te Purei had died.

"Not long after, a police officer came up my driveway and I said, 'Is this about Mary Jane?' and they said 'No, do you know Te Maungarongo Kingi?'

"To have lost my granddaughter was devastating, but the both of them? You can't imagine."

She said Te Maungarongo was "her boy", a gentle soul who was well-mannered and polite.

A talented singer and fluent Maori speaker, he had been looking forward to turning 18 so he could sing ballads with Mrs Campbell, who runs a karaoke business at Gisborne's Turanga Hotel every Saturday.

"The moment he turned 18 he was at the door waiting to get in," she said.

Mr Kingi worked for the Gisborne District Council and had planned to move to Australia.

Miss Te Purei was a business student at Matapuna Training Centre in Gisborne. The Gisborne Herald reported the centre had cancelled its celebrations for World Literacy Day yesterday because of the tragedy.

The centre's chief executive, Hana Hohapata, described Miss Te Purei as happy and well-liked by her peers.

Mrs Campbell said her granddaughter always left an impression.

"If you met her you would never forget her ... What you saw was what you got. She was straight to the point and yet she was a good kid.

"She was a free spirit."

Mrs Campbell said preparations were last night under way at Waihirere marae on the outskirts of Gisborne for Mr Kingi and Miss Te Purei's tangi.

Among the first on the accident scene was Maramarua fire brigade chief fire officer Howard Cole.

Although the road has claimed 31 lives and seriously injured more than 56 people since 2003, Mr Cole believed increased signage, better roads and better driver attitudes meant things were improving.