She faces one charge of dangerous driving causing death and four charges of dangerous driving causing injury.
Charging documents supplied to the Rotorua Daily Post show the charge relating to dangerous driving causing death carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years or a $20,000 fine, while the charges relating to dangerous driving causing injury carry a maximum prison sentence of five years’ jail or a $20,000 fine.
The woman facing charges will reappear before a registrar in Rotorua on June 2.
She was remanded on bail without plea.
Her bail conditions included not driving, no consumption or possession of drugs and alcohol, not using nitrous oxide gas, not to have contact with certain people named in court documents, and residing at the address on her bail bond.
The driver’s charges follow the recent charging of a female passenger in the same vehicle, who faces counts of being a party to dangerous driving causing death, four charges of being party to dangerous driving causing injury and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Charging documents showed the passenger allegedly wilfully attempted to obstruct the course of justice on the day of the crash by removing a canister of nitrous oxide gas, colloquially known as a nang, from a silver Toyota Lexus that was involved in a fatal and serious injury crash.
She appeared in the Rotorua District Court before a registrar on April 30 and was granted interim name suppression.
The November 6 crash
The crash happened on Te Ngae Rd about 9.20pm.
The bus was carrying children from Gisborne’s Kaiti School after the Te Mana Kuratahi national primary schools kapa haka event in Tauranga.
Three students were taken to hospital but were soon discharged.
Another 26 people were assessed for minor injuries and did not require transport, a St John spokesperson said at the time of the crash.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.
