Victim of State Highway 2 crash near Whakamarama named as Steven Hart

The scene of Monday's fatal crash. Photo / George Novak

The victim of Monday's fatal crash on State Highway 2 near Whakamarama has been named as 34-year-old Steven Antony Hart.

Police said the serious crash unit investigation is continuing and they extended their sympathies to Hart's family and friends.

Steven Hart died after the car he was driving was involved in a collision with another car and a truck on SH2 between Pahoia Rd and Apata Station Rd about 4.40pm.

The truck and one of the cars caught fire after the crash.

The occupants of the other car escaped without injury. There were no reports of injuries to the truck driver.

The crash came a day after a SH2 action group announced plans to block the road next weekend in protest against Government inaction on safety and capacity concerns.

More than 100 people attended an at-times heated public meeting called by Fix the Bloody Road campaign organisers in Whakamarama on Sunday.

Andrew Hollis, one of the campaign's organisers, said 3pm on Sunday had been chosen for a 30-minute protest hikoi across the Wairoa Bridge because organisers hoped it would be the least disruptive time for locals.

"We want to keep the pressure on the Government, not the pressure on the community. We don't want to upset everyone in Tauranga by blocking roads," he told the Bay of Plenty Times on Sunday.

The group was working with local police to ensure the protest would be safe, he said.