Man charged over fatal crash

Two teens died when the car they were travelling in collided with another vehicle on Welcome Bay Rd on Christmas Day. A 20-year-old man has now been charged with manslaughter. Photo / John Borren

Manslaughter charges have been laid against the driver of the car in which two teenage sisters were travelling before they died on Christmas Day.

Tauranga police arrested a 20-year-old Auckland man after interviewing him when he was discharged from hospital today. He has been charged with two counts of manslaughter and is scheduled to appear in the Tauranga District Court tomorrow.

Police would not reveal the relationship between him and the two sisters.

Merepeka Morehu Clark, aged 14 and her sister Brooklyn Morehu Clark aged 13 have been formally identified by police as those killed in the horrific crash near Tauranga.

Police said the crash happened when a speeding car passed another on Welcome Bay Rd and collided head-on with a third vehicle.

Four people were taken to hospital. One was a two-year-old girl who was flown to Starship Hospital in Auckland where she remains, but was improving, police spokeswoman Kim Perks said.

The others were a 15-year-old girl, a 39-year-old driver of the oncoming vehicle, and the 20-year-old. All three had since been discharged from hospital.

Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner said police still wanted to speak to anyone who might have seen a maroon Honda, a black Mitsubishi Lancer and a blue Honda in the area between 3.30pm and 4.30pm on Christmas Day.