Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

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 / Bay of Plenty Times

Mount Maunganui girl killed after being hit by a train was Jorja-Ray Smith, 11

Bay of Plenty Times
3 Aug, 2023 07:56 AM2 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

Police at the scene of the incident on Hewletts Rd on Monday. Photo / Alex Cairns

Police at the scene of the incident on Hewletts Rd on Monday. Photo / Alex Cairns

The girl who died in a train incident in Mount Maunganui on Monday was Jorja-Ray Smith, 11, of Mount Maunganui.

Police released her name this evening, extending sympathies to her loved ones.

She died after being struck by a freight train while biking home from Mount Maunganui Intermediate School.

The incident happened at the Hewletts Rd rail crossing at about 2.55pm.

Police have referred Jorja-Ray’s death to the coroner.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

KiwiRail is also investigating the incident, as concerns about the rail crossing are raised.

Earlier this week, Mount Maunganui Intermediate School principal Melissa Nelson described Jorja-Ray as a “delightful, happy, engaged and valuable” member of the school’s family.

“As a school, we’re devastated to lose one of our own in such awful circumstances,” she said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“The loss of a child is an unimaginable tragedy and our hearts and love go out to the family affected by this loss.”

Jorja-Ray Smith, 11, attended Mount Maunganui Intermediate School. Photo / Alex Cairns
Jorja-Ray Smith, 11, attended Mount Maunganui Intermediate School. Photo / Alex Cairns

She said the student went to Omanu School for her primary years and had whānau at Mount Maunganui College.

“Our whole community will feel this loss deeply and I feel grateful that we are such a close-knit community that supports each other so well in times of need.

A Ministry of Education trauma team had been at the school, and classmates had been sharing memories of their friend and writing messages to her family.


Correction

An earlier version of this story misspelled Jorja-Ray Smith’s name. The incorrect spelling was taken from a police media release issued on Thursday night. The Bay of Plenty Times corrected the name in this story that night. Police issued a formal correction on Friday morning and apologised for the error.




Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.



Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Nine Lotto players win nearly $31k each in Second Division – where tickets were sold

06 Jul 05:31 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'He's just scared of me': Teen's Māori wards challenge to PM

06 Jul 03:55 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Region's first learning hub for migrant parents a 'transformative step'

05 Jul 06:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Nine Lotto players win nearly $31k each in Second Division – where tickets were sold

Nine Lotto players win nearly $31k each in Second Division – where tickets were sold

06 Jul 05:31 AM

Lotto First Division Powerball was not struck and has jackpotted to $10m on Wednesday.

'He's just scared of me': Teen's Māori wards challenge to PM

'He's just scared of me': Teen's Māori wards challenge to PM

06 Jul 03:55 AM
Region's first learning hub for migrant parents a 'transformative step'

Region's first learning hub for migrant parents a 'transformative step'

05 Jul 06:00 PM
'God-given right': Family defends largely unconsented homestead on rural land

'God-given right': Family defends largely unconsented homestead on rural land

04 Jul 08:45 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

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
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • 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