Motorcyclist's death possibly gang-related, say police

The Honda Odyssey involved in the incident in which Don Henry Turei Junior died was found burnt out near the banks of the Raukokore River.

A motorcyclist killed when he was run off the road in the eastern Bay of Plenty last month may have been the victim of another gang, police believe.

Police are treating Don Henry Turei jnr's death as a homicide.

The 38-year-old was hit by a Honda Odyssey while riding his motorbike with his brother to a wedding reception on November 26.

The Odyssey then sped off and was found burned out near the banks of the Raukokore River near Te Kaha, a short distance away.

Detective Inspector Lew Warner said witness accounts and forensic examinations demonstrate the collision was deliberate. The Odyssey had been driven into the rear of Turei's motorcycle and pushed him off, he told RNZ.

It was possibly gang-related, as a rival gang had been having a function nearby on the same day.

Witnesses had described people wearing certain colours, and comments from the Odyssey.

"Words that came out of that vehicle indicated that they were likely to have come from the Mongrel Mob," Warner told the broadcaster.

Facebook posts indicated Turei was a Tribesman gang member.

- AAP