Man dies trying to silence neighbours

Campers were shocked to learn of the man's death at the Whangaruru camping ground. Photo / Tania Whyte

A camper who died cutting a power cable to his noisy neighbours' caravan was found dead after a caravan occupant investigated why the electricity had gone off.

Matthew Smith, 26, from Hamilton, was found dead at Whangaruru Beachfront Campground, 50km north of Whangarei, about 3am on Wednesday - two-and-a-half hours after he went to sort out a noisy caravan of youths and tried to cut the 240 volt power cord with pliers.

Matthew Smith.

Unbeknown to Mr Smith, the noise had come from a battery-powered music player, and continued after he was electrocuted.

The occupants of the caravan are believed to have found Mr Smith after they went to bed, and then investigated why the caravan's power was off.

Whangarei police spokeswoman Sarah Kennett said Mr Smith had been staying at the camp with a friend and his friend's father, when he became frustrated with noise coming from a nearby caravan.

He had left his own camping area about 12.30am to deal with the issue.

One of the teens from the caravan had found Mr Smith about 3am.

He initially believed Mr Smith may have passed out after drinking alcohol, and tried to rouse him, before attempting to resuscitate him.

The teen raised the alarm when he realised the man was dead. A fellow camper, who declined to be named, told the Northern Advocate yesterday she did not know what was going on when she heard a helicopter arrive at the campground.

"I didn't know what it was," she said. "Most people woke up to the chopper coming in."

The woman believed it was one of the young men from the caravan who found the body.

In the morning, everybody was walking around in shock, she said. The caravan the dead man had been complaining about had been occupied by a "handful" of people in their late teens, she said. A number of other people had also complained about the noise.

A friend of Mr Smith, who declined to be named, told NZME. news service: "Matthew was an incredible young man, who had time for anyone who needed advice, a laugh or just an ear to listen." Mr Smith had worked as a lighting technician at Waikato Sound and Lighting for the past five years, the company's director Jonathon Roberts said.

Co-worker Phil Brown said Mr Smith was "a really nice, friendly guy and he'd help anyone out".

"What happened was just a crazy, crazy thing to happen."

Northland Emergency Services Trust chief pilot Pete Turnbull said a helicopter flew to the Whangaruru campground with a paramedic on board but Mr Smith was pronounced dead on arrival.

Campground owner Craig Stokes said he did not know the man who died.

"He'd been staying there a few nights with some mates.

"The police have got it all in hand," he said.

A spokesman for WorkSafe NZ, which looks after health and safety in the workplace issues, said it had been notified about the death. The government body - a branch of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment - would not comment further at this stage.