Mother-of-four died on way home after six months away

File photo / Greg Bowker

Elizabeth Iavman's husband died last year so she had come to New Zealand to make some money to better provide for her four daughters back in Vanuatu.

But the 58-year-old died on her way to the airport after a six-month stint as a kiwifruit worker at Te Puke's Satara packhouse as part of the Recognised Seasonal Employment (RSE) scheme.

She was in a van carrying five people which was part of a convoy of vehicles returning home to Vanuatu. The van rolled several times while attempting to overtake a furniture removal truck near Ngatea on Wednesday morning.

Two other woman, Margaret Koah and Mary Konating, were seriously injured and are recovering in Waikato Hospital.

Joe Kapalu and his wife Tinis Iaevis were initially transferred to Thames Hospital but have since been discharged.

Satara chief executive Wes Anderson-Smith said yesterday the company had sent staff to Thames after the accident to provide support for the victims.

"Satara staff who had worked with Elizabeth, Margaret, Mary, Joe and Tinis are very upset. We feel privileged to have had them working for us."

He described Ms Iavman as a hardworking, self motivated person.

"She saved very hard and was very careful with her money while she was in New Zealand and was really excited to be on her way home.

"Elizabeth lost her husband last year and was here to make some extra money to better provide for her four daughters.

"Those who worked with Elizabeth said she had an excellent sense of humour and was a very gentle soul.

"She was an extraordinary woman who will be sadly missed."

Mr Anderson-Smith said Ms Iavman loved fishing, but never used a rod, she "tickled" fish which involved rubbing the underbelly of a fish causing them to go into a trance-like state meaning they can then easily be thrown onto the nearest bit of dry land.

Nationally 8000 workers come to New Zealand under the RSE scheme to work in the horticulture and viticulture industries. This year Satara had 140 RSE workers from Tonga, Vanuatu and Indonesia spread across the company's' sites in Northland and the Bay of Plenty.