Woman thanks 'hero' who foiled her kidnapping

File photo / NZ Herald

A young woman says the truck driver that saved her from three men trying to kidnap her is a hero.

Derek Hoeta saw the woman struggling with two men who were trying to force her into their car on State Highway 3 at Uruti, 34km northeast of Waitara, and rescued her.

"He's my hero. I just can't thank him enough. If it wasn't for Derek Hoeta I could have been killed or raped," the mother of two told the Taranaki Daily News.

She said she had been left on the side of the road, 45 kilometres from New Plymouth, as punishment by a Corrections Department work party supervisor.

The woman, who had a brace on her leg, had had an argument with her community probation work party boss after she told him her leg hurt and she needed to sit down.

Her crutches were in the probation van when the group drove off leaving her behind.

As she waited for a friend to pick her up, a silver Nissan Skyline pulled over.

Mr Hoeta scared the men away and then took the woman to the Waitara police station.

One of the men was described as dark-skinned, skinny with thick short straight hair with a tattoo on the left side of his neck, another was described as a Maori or Pacific Islander with curly hair and tattoos along the length of one arm.

A third man never got out of the silver Nissan they were travelling in, Detective Sergeant Chris Allen told NZPA yesterday.

The woman said she was disappointed no one from corrections had contacted her to ask her how she was.

She has since engaged a high-profile New Plymouth lawyer.

Corrections is investigating but would not comment further.

- NZPA