One dead in road mishap near Takapau

A teenage male passenger died after being thrown from a car that rolled south of Takapau in Central Hawke's Bay tonight.

A spokeswoman for the Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter said the incident happened about 7pm after the driver tried to over-correct the steering.

It's understood the vehicle contained four teenagers of a similar age, three of them male.

A 14-year-old male with moderate injuries, believed to be the driver, was airlifted to Hawkes Bay Hospital.

The helicopter spokeswoman said a woman passenger received minor injuries.

A resident of the close-knit community said the incident happened on the Takapau Ormondville Rd, at a bridge locals knew not to "hit too fast".

She said the incident had left the area in shock and the dead passenger was the son of a wealthy family. The fourth person in the car was thought to be "okay".

The community was "caring" and dominated by the local meatworks which employed 1200 people.