The man who was killed when his ute crashed into a tree north of Turangi on Wednesday night has been named by police.
Mt Maunganui man Shane Anthony Robson, 51, died instantly in the crash, which happened on State Highway 1 at Hatepe about 8.30pm on Wednesday.
He was not wearing a seatbelt, police said.
"Once again a family has lost a loved one because that individual made the decision to not wear a seatbelt," said Senior Sergeant Fane Troy of the Taupo area road policing group.
"Police cannot reiterate enough the importance of wearing your seatbelt. They do save lives."
