Teen charged over Christmas Day crash deaths likely to fight charges

A cross at the site where the two girls were killed. Photo / Alan Gibson

A 17-year-old among three family members accused of manslaughter over the Christmas Day crash deaths of two of his cousins in Tauranga is likely to fight the charges at trial.

Haki Davey appeared alongside his aunt, Phillippa Vanessa Morehu, 36, and his cousin, Hetaraka Hikurangi Reihana, 20, in Tauranga District Court this afternoon.

They each face two charges of manslaughter over the deaths of Merepeka Morehu-Clark, 14, and Brooklyn Morehu-Clark, 13, who were killed in a Welcome Bay crash on the afternoon of December 25.

Police say the girls were in the back of the vehicle driven by Hetaraka Hikurangi Reihana, 20, of Auckland, when it collided with a ute.

The teenagers, who were on their way to visit their grandmother's grave when the crash happened, were not wearing seatbelts.

They died at the scene.

Neither Morehu nor Davey was in the crash vehicle.

In court today, Reihana and Davey were remanded to reappear at post-committal conferences in Manukau District Court next month.

Despite opposition by police, curfew conditions were also lifted for Davey.

His counsel, Paul Mabey QC, argued a trial for Davey could be as far as a year away.

Outside court, the family's social worker and spokesman James Papalii said Haki was travelling three cars back from the vehicle allegedly driven by Reihana and his family was "dumbfounded'' at the charges against him.

"They can't believe he's up for two counts of manslaughter.''

The wider whanau remained "traumatised'' over the tragedy, he said.

"This was a five-minute ride to the cemetery to visit their grandmother and, okay, they were speeding and it got out of hand, but they never thought anything like this is going to happen.''