Teens killed in Waikato crash named

File photo /APN

Police have named two teenagers who died when their car crashed on a rural road outside Huntly early Sunday morning.

Liam Manu Tumau, 18, and Katie Blake, 17, both of Huntly died when they were thrown when it crashed into a power pole on Rotowaro Rd about 1.15am, Waikato road policing manager, Inspector Leo Tooman said.

"The 17-year-old male driver, who only had a learner's driver licence, suffered minor to moderate injuries in the crash and was taken to Waikato Hospital by ambulance," Mr Tooman said.

"We are currently awaiting blood alcohol test results from ESR (Environment Science Research) to determine what the driver's alcohol level was at the time of the crash and we believe excessive speed was also a factor in what happened."

Mr Tooman said the fact two families will now be without loved ones this summer was made all the more tragic by the fact the crash was totally avoidable.

"The driver should not have even been behind the wheel of the car given his licence status when you combine that with the other contributing factors then you have a recipe for disaster and it's these young people's families and the emergency services left to pick up the pieces."

The Waikato Serious Crash Unit will return to the scene of the crash for further analysis this week and charges against the driver are likely to follow.

Eight people died on the New Zealand's road over the Labour Day weekend, the same toll as last year.

- NZHERALD STAFF