TV star's cousin, 17, found dead after crash

Mark Sainsbury

A pig-hunting teenager who died after rolling his vehicle was not found until two days after his crash, when his father became concerned about his disappearance.

Blair Sainsbury, 17, a relative of television presenter Mark Sainsbury, was found near the wreckage of his car near Gisborne on Tuesday morning.

Mr Sainsbury's death was the 11th recorded by police over the Easter weekend, making it the deadliest holiday on the roads since 1993.

He disappeared on Sunday evening after attending the Tiniroto Easter Game Hunt.

A group of people set out to find him on Tuesday morning, discovering his empty vehicle about 10 minutes' drive from the Tiniroto tavern, where the hunting competition weigh-in was held. It had rolled 80 metres down a bank off Tiniroto Rd.

Purely by chance, father Guy Sainsbury ran into the group who had found the vehicle. He searched the surrounding area, where he found his son's body.

Acting Senior Sergeant Trent Higgs said the teenager might have briefly survived the crash.

It appeared he had wandered away from the wreck, as his body was found metres from the car.

TVNZ Close Up presenter Mark Sainsbury, who is a cousin of Guy's, said Blair was "a really good kid with a good nature".

He said he had already been preparing a story on the Easter road toll on Tuesday when he received a call from Guy informing him of the accident.

"The number of times you report on this stuff ... you can begin to treat things as statistics," he told the Herald.

"But this is reality - the family are up there having to deal with it. It's a real shock, bloody awful."

After presenting the story, a visibly moved Sainsbury expressed his condolences to his family.

Blair Sainsbury's vehicle was removed yesterday to be investigated by the serious crash unit.

Early indications were that he was not wearing a seatbelt. He was the only person in the vehicle.

EASTER ROAD TOLL

Barbara June Mosely, 59
James Victor Robinson, 18
Wiki Antony Barass, 50
Fraser Douglas Nathan, 23
Kalaisha Matangireia Princess Hale, 6 months
Steven Gorrie, 38
Makoto Izumi, age not known
Abdullah Aldousari, 19
Haina Gladys Stewart, 48
Cathryn May Carr, 51
Blair Sainsbury, 17