Counselling offered to school hit by girl's death

Roadside floral tributes and a bear for Brittany Davis. Picture / Doug Sherring

Trauma counsellors will be at Clevedon School in South Auckland this week as it tries to deal with the loss of a 10-year-old pupil who was hit by a truck after getting off her school bus.

The accident happened as Brittany Davis crossed the road to her home about 3.30pm on Friday. Her mother was waiting at the gate.

Two members of the Ministry of Education trauma unit talked with Clevedon teachers over the weekend in preparation for the school week.

Clevedon School board of trustees chairman Martin Grant said the counsellors would be available throughout the week to anyone affected by the accident.

He said the community was still in a state of shock and disbelief.

"Every accident is horrible but I think ... when a child is killed is just an awful tragedy," said Mr Grant.

"Everyone's hearts are going out to the family for what they're going through."

Eight other people were also killed in road accidents at the weekend.

Bad weather is said to have contributed to a head-on collision which claimed the lives of three people at Te Pohue, about 45km northeast of Napier, at 2pm yesterday.

It is understood the victims were from the same family.

Two others travelling in the same car - a 12-year-old boy and a woman believed to be his mother - were taken to Hawke's Bay Regional Hospital with serious injuries.

The two occupants of the other car were taken to hospital with moderate injuries.

Brent Williams from the Lowe Corporation rescue helicopter said driving conditions were atrocious.

"It had it all - heavy rain, low cloud, misty conditions and the roads were very, very greasy."

A motorcyclist was killed after colliding with a parked car at Paparoa between Maungaturoto and Ruawai on State Highway 12 on Friday night.

Police have yet to publicly name the motorcyclist, who was killed about 8 o'clock.

Half an hour later, a truck being driven on State Highway 2 rolled in the Waioeka Gorge about 17km from Opotiki.

The 46-year-old driver died at the scene of the crash and the gorge was closed for several hours.

He had not been publicly named last night because Whakatane police were still trying to contact his next-of-kin.

Tautatao Taiti, 46, of Oamaru, was killed when her car and a light truck collided head-on about 11pm on Friday near Palmerston, 57km northeast of Dunedin.

Two men in their 20s were killed in a head-on collision between a car and a truck on State Highway 1, south of Foxton, at 6am on Saturday.

The highway just north of Koputaroa Rd was closed for more than six hours.

Levin police said the two men were travelling north at the time of the accident.

Neither alcohol nor speed was a factor in the accident, they said.

The men's families have been contacted but police are waiting for formal identification before publicly naming them.

A police spokesman said the number of road deaths was "excessive" and "unusual".

He said it was too early to comment further as the accidents were still being investigated.