Funeral for Kyah Kennedy, teenager killed in Invercargill crash

The body of 16-year-old Kyah Kennedy is carried into the Te Rau Aroha Marae in Bluff for his tangi on Tuesday. Photo / George Heard

The funeral for 16-year-old Kyah Kennedy who died in a crash in Invercargill is being held today.

Kennedy and three friends, O Maruhuatau Otuwhare Tawhai, 17, Konnor Steele, 16, and Indaka Rouse, 16, died in a head-on collision with a concrete truck on Queens Drive, Invercargill, on April 22.

Today, friends and family gathered for his funeral at the Te Rau Aroha Marae in Bluff.

Before the service began, a slideshow with photos of Kennedy was played. His family could be seen sitting on the floor of the marae next to photos of him.

The mood was solemn with a large crowd in attendance.

A eulogy was read by the host of the service on behalf of Kennedy's family.

"Kyah was a young man who loved to succeed and loved knowing. He made everyone proud.

"Kyah was a sore loser, just like his dad. He was very competitive at everything he was our little book of knowledge," he read.

After the service, Kennedy's body was to be taken to the cemetery.

A tangi for him was held on Tuesday this week.

It comes after funerals were held for two other teenagers killed in the crash on Thursday.

The first was for O Maruhuatau Otuwhare Tawhai, known as Maru to those close to him, at the Ngā Hau E Whā marae in Invercargill.

The funeral for 16-year-old Kyah Kennedy who died in a crash in Invercargill is being held today. Photo / Supplied

An hour before the service at 11am, a congregation of loved ones and locals were lining Conon St.

Police and Māori wardens blocked off Conon St from traffic as the group held the service on the road outside of the marae.

A funeral for Konnor Steele was also held yesterday. His coffin was brought across the Bluff Rugby club field on the back of a ute with his brother and dad sitting in the open air with him.

A large crowd of people gathered outside before moving inside the clubrooms.

There were around 200 people still gathering outside the clubrooms, unable to get inside the packed funeral service.