Veteran lock Sam Whitelock has encouraged teammates to speak out after the sudden death of Sean Wainui, as the All Blacks tour the northern hemisphere.
Wainui died in a car crash on Monday, and was a teammate and friend to many of the current squad.
Whitelock said players were struggling to grapple with the news and that it was "critical" they spoke about it.
"There are a lot of people here heartbroken by Sean's passing.," Whitelock said. "There are people walking around with a pretty heavy heart at the moment which is understandable.