Eltham crash victim Janey Hardy remembered by family, Fonterra as energetic, engaging woman

Family and friends are mourning a treasured workmate who made people smile after she died in a fiery South Taranaki crash.

Janey Hardy, 49, was one of the two people killed in the collision on SH3 in Eltham, Taranaki on Wednesday.

The crash left the stretch of highway closed for more than 11 hours as emergency services responded.

Fonterra general manager for the Whareroa Lab team Michael Wink said Hardy was a valued member of the co-op for 12 years.

“The team are devastated by the loss but remember Janey as a fun, energetic and engaging teammate. She made those that worked with her smile”.

“We are supporting her family and team through this tough time,” Wink said.

The Herald understands Hardy had celebrated her 49th birthday less than two weeks earlier.

The Dairy Workers Union wrote a tribute online to Hardy who held several roles including department delegate and worksite women’s delegate.

“Some would say Janey belonged to any committee she could for social reasons; however, she didn’t do anything by halves and her mahi in all these committees was immense.

“She was a huge support to her fellow workmates and her beautiful soul was an absolute delight.

“Rest in Love Janey, you were one of a kind and I doubt I will ever come across anyone quite like you again in my lifetime.

“I feel so blessed to have known you.”

The Dairy Workers Union National Secretary Chris Flatt said Hardy was heavily involved in supporting union workers at Fonterra’s Whareroa Factory, and members across the wider union.

“The DWU has a women’s committee and Janey had served on it as a regional representative for the Central North Island to help female union members with their day-to-day needs,” he said.

Flatt said Hardy always had a smile on her face when he met her.

“She had an incredibly vibrant personality, but took her union role very seriously and was a fierce advocate for her members, especially her female members,” he said.

“She was a fierce defender of workers’ rights, especially female workers, but took everyone along with her on the journey rather than creating conflict.”

Police confirmed on Wednesday night that two people were involved in the crash after earlier saying the number of occupants in one of the vehicles remained unclear.

“The Disaster Victim Identification Unit finished their assessment and found the drivers were the only people in the vehicles.

“Our thoughts are with the victims’ families at this incredibly difficult time,” police said.

Janey Hardy, 49, from South Taranaki, who died in a car crash, has been remembered lovingly by family and colleagues.

An investigation by the Serious Crash Unit is ongoing.

A Taranaki farmer who drove past Wednesday morning’s deadly vehicle crash said the force caused one car to burst into flames while the other was flipped upside down on the other side of the road.

Peter Shearer told the Herald he drove past the crash on his way to work several hours after it happened and did not spend any time looking at the “morbid” site.

“There was a whole lot of debris spread out over the road,” Shearer said.

“One [car] had been burnt out and the other one was upside down on the other side of the road.”

South Taranaki mayor Phil Nixon said his thoughts are “absolutely with the families” of those affected by today’s tragedy.

He said the community was “incredibly close-knit” and the crash will be felt throughout the whole area.

“My thoughts also go out to the emergency services who had to be on that horrific scene,” Nixon said.

A Fire and Emergency spokeswoman said one of the cars was engulfed in flames when emergency services arrived on the scene.

She described the fire as “well-involved” but said crews were able to extinguish it quickly.

A spokesperson for St John said it sent two ambulances to the scene after being notified at 5.50am.

An Eltham resident who worked at a local rest home said this tragedy will be felt throughout their community and this is one of the “worst things to happen in a long time”.

Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.