"There's a lot of swelling but he now has sight, so that's a relief. He's still having tests for that," Mr Simmons said. "He has absolutely no recollection of anything that happened that night, which is probably a good thing."
Two 17-year-olds appeared in the Hastings District Court this week charged with injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, after they were arrested in relation to the incident.
They were granted interim name suppression and entered no pleas before being bailed. Under their bail conditions, they must adhere to a curfew, avoid alcohol, not enter Havelock North and not contact the victim, alleged co-offender or witnesses.
The maximum penalty for injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm is 10 years in prison.
Mr Simmons said a bank account had been set up to assist his friend's recovery. "He's obviously not working and it may be a while before he's back on the job so we're hoping this will go some way to help. His nickname's "Happy", so we've called it the "Happy Fund".
Anyone wishing to donate can do so at Kiwibank account No389 012 0469 202 00.
