Shaken children involved in a fatal crash between a bus and car in Rotorua last night were taken to a nearby fast-food restaurant following the collision.
A passenger in the car was killed, and the driver and a second passenger were critically injured in the crash on Te Ngae Rd around 9.15pm.
The bus was carrying children from Gisborne’s Kaiti School following the Te Mana Kuratahi national primary schools kapa haka event in Tauranga.
Three students who were taken to hospital have now been discharged.
A further 26 patients in “minor condition” were assessed and did not require transport, a St John spokesperson said.
Burger King Te Ngae employee Ritik Aeehi, who was working at the time, said he did not hear the crash itself, but became aware of it when a bus and children arrived at the restaurant shortly afterwards.
Aeehi said the children told him there had been a collision involving their bus and another vehicle.
Walking up Te Ngae Rd, Aeehi saw the road blocked off by emergency services, estimating the crash site to be about 400-500m away.
Aeehi said the children appeared shaken, but were largely calm as they waited inside the restaurant.
Go Bus chief operating officer Ben Barlow confirmed to the Rotorua Daily Post a charter bus was involved in the crash.
“The bus sustained damage. Some passengers on the bus were taken to hospital for assessment and have since been discharged. The bus driver is safe.
“Emergency services attended the scene, and our team provided support to remaining passengers. Arrangements were made for them to continue their journey safely.”
Barlow said they were co-operating fully with police.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this incident. This has been a distressing event for all involved. Our team continues to support one another during this difficult time.”
Te Mana Kuratahi chairman Jack Te Moana said Kaiti School’s kapa haka group had already completed their performance before the crash.
He said the rōpū represented their kura, whānau and rohe with “a lot of pride”, and their supporters were pleased with how they performed.
The annual Te Mana Kuratahi festival brings together primary-aged kapa haka groups from across the country.
Te Moana said the competition was considered an early foundation for young performers, describing it as “the beginning of great things” and “a way of life” for many, who continued into secondary and senior national kapa haka levels.
This year’s event involved 62 groups and about 2500 performers, marking the 25th anniversary of the competition.
Te Moana said it had been a successful and significant week for the host region.
Te Moana said Kaiti School’s rōpū was not scheduled to perform again, but were at the event today to support other teams from their region.
Te Moana said support had been put in place for the group through both the host committee and the national organising body.
Neighbour Ivan Clothier said it was a “sad situation” and said a woman inside the car that crashed begged him for help, but he was unable to get her out.
“The lady just said to me, ‘help me’, so I just tried, but [she was] trapped in the car.
“She was pinned. You try and help them and you’ve got to stop the bleeding, but none of us had a lot of training.”
The bus was carrying children from Kaiti School in Gisborne.
“All students and kaiako are safe. Our hearts and aroha are with our team and their whānau,” Kaiti School principal Billie-Jean Potaka Ayton said.
Clothier said the children were stunned by the crash and were taken to a Burger King, then transferred to another bus.
“Yeah, it’s quite a sad situation, a lot of trauma.
“There wasn’t injuries to the kids ... [but] they were definitely shaken.”
Several people in the area tried to help before the first responders arrived at the scene.
“We had a problem with the traffic moving around, so the bros had got a couple of 4x4s and we blocked the road off, so then it started to calm down a bit.
“It’s a very sad situation. It’s affected a few of us [neighbours] ... It’s a horrible thing for the public to have to see.”
St John said one patient in a critical condition was airlifted to Waikato Hospital. Another patient was transported to Rotorua Hospital in a critical condition.
Three patients in a moderate condition were also transported to Rotorua Hospital.
“The bus was carrying passengers at the time, and fortunately, those on the bus only sustained minor injuries,” a police spokesperson said.
A further 26 patients in a “minor condition” were assessed and did not require transport, a St John spokesperson said.
Five ambulances, two helicopters, a rapid response unit, two operations managers and a major incident support vehicle were sent to the scene.
Inquiries into the circumstances of the crash were under way, a police spokesperson said.
Another resident who was awake at the time said they heard a loud “thump” as the crash happened.
They went outside to find several people already gathered, many visibly distressed.
People were running up and down Te Ngae Rd in a “panic”, they said, sensing the “hopelessness”.
A younger couple came on to their property with “tears rolling down” their faces.
They describe the scene as “full of emotion”.
Having lived in the area for about 30 years, they said there has been the occasional crash before, but none as “compelling” as last night.
Other residents on Te Ngae Rd, who asked not to be named, heard a “bang” followed by what they described as sounding like a series of fireworks.
About two minutes later, they looked out the curtains and saw fire trucks rushing past their home.
They saw the bus was full of children, aged from what they thought were primary school children to older teens.
The younger children were “crying”, they said, with the older of the bunch trying to stay strong.
They said they saw another bus arrive to transport the children away from the scene.
Older children had to encourage younger ones to get on the bus, they said.
The residents said the roof of the car was removed, and the bus also appeared to have noticeable damage.
Annabel Reid is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, based in Rotorua. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canterbury.
Jaime Lyth is a multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald, focusing on crime and breaking news. Lyth began working under the NZ Herald masthead in 2021 as a reporter for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei.