New mother dies 10 mins after farewell to daughter

A new mum said goodbye to her 4-month-old daughter and left for work - 10 minutes later she died in a car crash.

Raglan woman Julia Borgoo, 29, was on her way to work when her car and another vehicle collided on State Highway 23 near her home just before 9am on Monday.

She died at the scene and the two occupants of the other car were seriously injured.

Police said Ms Borgoo, originally from France, left the house at 8.30am after saying goodbye to her daughter Kaya and partner Manu Le Gouais.

"The last words he said to her were 'Have a good day'. That was at 8.30am, at 8.40am she was gone," an officer said.

Ms Borgoo's partner was too distraught to speak about the crash; he asked Ms Borgoo's best friend Catherine Gault to speak to the Herald on his behalf.

Ms Gault said the crash was bittersweet for her as her manager was in the other vehicle and survived.

"I knew about that and I was told she was okay and then I found out later that the driver of the other car was Julia, my closest friend," she said.

"I was just saying 'No, no, no, it can't be Julia, not my Julia. Denial and disbelief that she could be taken away from us. It's an absolute tragedy that we can't comprehend. In a second your life changes forever."

Ms Gault said Ms Borgoo was "truly, absolutely beautiful".

"She really had a beautiful persona, she had a beautiful smile and it really lit up the room - really corny but true.

"She was just really open and warm, really beautiful and her baby Kaya is going to be the same."

Ms Borgoo and her partner had been living in New Zealand for about four years.

They returned to France last year intent on going travelling, but when they found out Ms Borgoo was pregnant the couple decided to make New Zealand their permanent home.

"They chose to come back for the lifestyle that we have in New Zealand. They wanted to bring up their baby in this wonderful country," said Ms Gault.

"She was a real natural mum. She wanted the best of life for her new baby. She was breastfeeding her and she often carried Kaya in a baby wrap on her front."

Ms Borgoo worked in Raglan and in Hamilton as an osteopath.

"I spoke to a colleague who worked with her who said she was great at her job, she loved her patients and her patients always spoke highly of her," said Ms Gault.

"She had heaps of friends. Friends were really important to her. She was the kind of friend who would tell you the absolute truth even if it was difficult to hear - and I loved her for it, I respected her for it."

Ms Gault said Ms Borgoo was a great cook, loved knitting and was willing to try her hand at anything.

"I went skiing with her last year and she tried snowboarding for the first time. She wasn't afraid, she just went for it. She went up the slope and she attacked it with gusto and she fell over.

"Julia had that passion and that liveliness about her - even if she wasn't the best at something. She gave everything a go, she wasn't scared."

Ms Borgoo and her partner's families are on their way to New Zealand from France. They are expected to arrive this weekend.

"Manu's understandably shocked and shaken and grieving and I think it's a bit overwhelming for him," said Ms Gault.

"I think he'll be quite relieved when his family gets here. But he's got a lot of support here in Raglan."