Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • 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

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

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

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

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 / Hawkes Bay Today

Flaxmere teen killed in Hastings motorcycle crash remembered

By Victoria White
Reporter·Hawkes Bay Today·
30 Jan, 2018 06:00 PM4 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

Tributes have been paid in a roadside memorial for Codie Irwin, 16, Flaxmere, who died following a crash on Stock Rd, Hastings last week. Photo / Duncan Brown

Tributes have been paid in a roadside memorial for Codie Irwin, 16, Flaxmere, who died following a crash on Stock Rd, Hastings last week. Photo / Duncan Brown

The animals a Hastings teenager loved in life took him to his final resting place yesterday.

Police confirmed 16-year-old Codie Irwin, of Flaxmere, died when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a light truck on Stock Rd near Equestrian Lane in Bridge Pa last Thursday.

His family had planned for horses to help take the 16-year-old to rest at Rongomaraeroa Marae, Porangahau,before his funeral service yesterday morning.

Read more: Police name Hastings teen killed in motorcycle crash last week
One dead after motorcycle and truck collide in Bridge Pa, teenage pillion passenger hurt

"Our darling's wish was to go to Porangahau, where he will be surrounded by what he loves. He hates sheep but loves shearing! And, has a love of horses and everything country!," his death notice stated.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

His family declined to comment. In the notice Codie was remembered as the much-loved son of Lindsay Irwin and Charlene Tipu, and the "super loved" brother of Antonio, Lorenzo, Dillon and Lynne.

He was the "loved brother-in-law of Cara, Givana, Moeroa, and Desmond, and the best "Gunkle" to Roera, Te Uira, Te Kukanga, Kassidy-Joyce and Himiona, as well as uncle to Destiny, Paora, Byron, Jarome and Piripi".

"Cherished moko of Nohokainga (Bella) Tipu & Charlie Tohu, Alf Christenson, and Jack & Agnes Irwin."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The teenager's love of horses grew during his two years in the Birchleigh Polo Club programme, which is aimed at helping at-risk youth stay on the right side of the law.

Co-ordinator Richard Kettle said Codie had gotten a lot out of the course, which he finished around the time he started Year 9 at Hastings Boys' High School.

The "really likable kid" would often turn up hours before he needed to be at the programme, was eager to learn, and would help mentor newer students.

"He was a bit of a character. He was full of life, he wasn't afraid of a challenge. He took to everything with real enthusiasm, and he had some real knocks, he fell off quite a lot in the early days but he'd laugh about it and get straight back on," Kettle said.

"He really loved the horses and had a lot of respect for them. He was determined to master it and be good at it, which he did, in the end he was getting really good."

The programme was founded by Leg Up Trust co-ordinator Ros Rowe, who said she remembered Codie as a "fairly out there boy", and his passing was "terribly sad".

"He did have an anger problem, he seemed to like the horses that was a real plus."

Part of the reason for setting up the project was to give troubled youths an outlet for their sense of adventure, she said, as a way of teaching them to "have affection for another living thing".

Investigations into Thursday's crash are ongoing, and police have appealed for witnesses or anyone who saw the motorcycle before the crash.

The motorcycle was allegedly driven on a limestone cycle pathway on the wrong side of Stock Rd, heading north towards Flaxmere when the truck pulled out of a driveway. Neither rider nor pillion passenger were wearing helmets.

The passenger was discharged from Hawke's Bay Hospital this week. The investigation was ongoing and police were unable to comment on whether any charges would be laid.

The death is the second on Hawke's Bay roads this year. Last year the Hawke's Bay road toll was the highest it had been since 2012, with 24 people killed on roads between Wairoa and Tararua.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

• Anyone who was in the Stock Rd area at the time or has any information is asked to phone the police on (06) 877 0609. Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

The council with just one candidate as deadline for nominations looms

Hawkes Bay Today

Date set for new Puketapu Bridge to open: 'It means so much to our community'

Premium
Hawkes Bay Today

Wairoa: Nine tries in muddy Mahia Barry Cup defence


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

The council with just one candidate as deadline for nominations looms
Hawkes Bay Today

The council with just one candidate as deadline for nominations looms

Nominations for the election closes in 11 days.

21 Jul 02:56 AM
Date set for new Puketapu Bridge to open: 'It means so much to our community'
Hawkes Bay Today

Date set for new Puketapu Bridge to open: 'It means so much to our community'

21 Jul 01:25 AM
Premium
Premium
Wairoa: Nine tries in muddy Mahia Barry Cup defence
Hawkes Bay Today

Wairoa: Nine tries in muddy Mahia Barry Cup defence

20 Jul 11:58 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
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
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP