NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Young Ngaruawahia crash victim an aspiring musician

NZ Herald
19 Nov, 2016 08:19 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The vehicle lost control and smashed into a tree on Durham St just after 6pm. Photo / Google

The vehicle lost control and smashed into a tree on Durham St just after 6pm. Photo / Google

The 11-year-old who died in a crash at Ngaruawahia on Friday was aspiring musician Nikau Tamati.

Nikau was travelling in a car containing seven children aged 9 to 15 when the vehicle lost control and smashed into a tree on Durham St just after 6pm.

The boy's family were forced to make the heart-breaking decision to turn off his life-support and he died in Waikato Hospital yesterday.

A Durham St resident who lives metres from the crash site told Fairfax she rushed out after she heard a horrendous bang.

As others rushed to the accident site, the woman called 111 and frantically tried to establish how many injured were in the mangled wreck.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It was awful. It really was. It was a hell of a crash. I was saying, don't move anybody, but of course they were dragging them out. How do you know if it's a back [injured] or whatever?"

The woman told Fairfax a girl in the car said she had told the driver "he was going too fast, but he wouldn't listen".

Frantic relatives of the injured children arrived at the accident site as emergency services were dealing with the crash.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The woman said the driver was trapped and another boy had a badly injured arm.

Meanwhile, Nikau's cousin said Fairfax the youngster would "never be forgotten".

"He will always remain in our hearts and I give all the support to the family who grieve for him. We once had a brave soldier whose time has come to an end but we will cherish every second we have spent with him rest easy little brother. Love and miss you forever and always."

A tangi was expected to be held at Turangawaewae Marae sometime next week.

Discover more

New Zealand

Two people critical after Waikato crash

18 Nov 09:07 AM
New Zealand

11-year-old dies after Waikato crash

19 Nov 02:16 AM
New Zealand

11yo victim's life-support turned off

19 Nov 07:05 AM
New Zealand

Flat Bush crash: Deja vu for locals

20 Nov 04:49 AM

Nikau's family are in tatters and another three families face an anxious wait as they keep bedside vigils for the six other children who were hospitalised with serious to critical injuries.

Police said the children came from four Ngaruawahia families and many were related, either as siblings or cousins.

It was not clear yet who was driving the vehicle but nobody in the white Toyota Wish was old enough to obtain a driver's licence.

The registered owner of the car was known to the children, police said.

A member of the Ngaruawahia community said the shattered family of the 11-year-old had to make the call to turn off the boy's life support.

Another member of the community said she did not want to comment because "four families are obviously pretty devastated."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A community board member said there had been a meeting of friends connected to the families on Saturday morning and a decision was made not to speak to media until the families were ready.

Waikato District mayor Allan Sanson said the crash would hit the tight-knit community hard.

"It's really tragic this has actually happened. You've just got to feel for the families involved."

Sanson said the crash was "catastrophic" for the tiny Waikato town because most people would know the children or their whanau.

It's understood some of the children attend Waipa Primary School in the town.

"This will really hurt the community."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Sanson was disturbed that the children had access to a vehicle but "in saying that we all leave our keys lying around".

"I don't know the circumstances around that."

Tributes have begun to surface on social media. One person said the dead boy still had a lot to offer the world and thanked whanau for their support.

Maurice Dalziel, a resident on the street where the crash happened said he felt his house shake when the car hit the tree metres from his home.

"I was actually sitting here watching TV1 just after 6pm and suddenly there was a sort of a bang and I thought it was an earthquake."

Dalziel said he thought his roof was falling in.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I went around the front and then I spotted it, a car had gone up into a tree."

His neighbours rushed to the aid of the children before emergency services arrived.

Waikato Police are investigating the crash and said it was too early to determine who was driving or the cause.

"This is an absolute tragedy for a number of families and the community as a whole," Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen Ambler said.

"All of the youths are local to the area and our thoughts are with the family and friends of all those involved."

Ambler said police were calling for witnesses who may have seen the white Toyota Wish between 5pm and 6.15pm in the Ngaruawahia township on Friday.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Inquiries are continuing with the registered owner of the vehicle, who is known to the occupants of the vehicle.

"While our thoughts are with the families of those involved, police are urging drivers to exercise caution on the roads, to drive to the conditions and to ensure people behind the wheel know their limits," Ambler said.

Anyone with any information about the crash can contact Detective Sergeant Andre Kavanagh of Hamilton CIB on 07 858 6200.

Alternatively, details can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Lotto: Powerball not struck, one First Division player $1 million richer

12 Jul 08:04 AM
New Zealand

Wall of water floods Kaiteriteri holday park

12 Jul 07:55 AM
New Zealand

Landslides, flooding, fallen trees: Nelson-Tasman residents urged to stay home

12 Jul 06:34 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Lotto: Powerball not struck, one First Division player $1 million richer

Lotto: Powerball not struck, one First Division player $1 million richer

12 Jul 08:04 AM

Time to check your Lotto numbers to see if you are $1 million richer.

Wall of water floods Kaiteriteri holday park

Wall of water floods Kaiteriteri holday park

12 Jul 07:55 AM
Landslides, flooding, fallen trees: Nelson-Tasman residents urged to stay home

Landslides, flooding, fallen trees: Nelson-Tasman residents urged to stay home

12 Jul 06:34 AM
Second venomous sea snake washes ashore in Coromandel

Second venomous sea snake washes ashore in Coromandel

12 Jul 06:00 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP