Ponga trees saved the driver of this car from plunging into a stream. Photo / NZ Police
Ponga trees saved the driver of this car from plunging into a stream. Photo / NZ Police
Five people have died on Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty roads this year, prompting a plea by the district’s road policing manager for people to remember they’re driving a “deadly machine”.
Senior Sergeant Wayne Hunter, head of Western Bay road policing team, said four drivers and one passenger losttheir lives in the first six months of 2025.
The district’s road toll totalled eight in 2024 and again in 2023, and 15 in 2022.
Among the five deaths this year was Lily Arabin, 34, from Te Puke who died in a two-vehicle crash on the Tauranga Eastern Link/State Highway 2 on June 26.
On June 4, Amajit Singh, 25, was found dead at his Te Puke home the day after being involved in a crash in Pongakawa. Supinderjit Singh, 40, has been charged with dangerous driving causing Amajit Singh’s death, and dangerous driving in another vehicle on June 3.
Hunter said the number of fatalities this year could have been far higher as some drivers continued taking “unnecessary risks”, including speeding and not driving appropriately to the weather or road conditions.
He said one of the recent crashes left a 25-year-old with a critical head injury after losing control of his car in wet weather on State Highway 29 at Lower Kaimai and colliding with a tanker.
The July 11 crash happened between McLaren Falls Rd and Poripori Rd and left SH29 blocked for three hours.
Hunter said the patient suffered a brain bleed and was still in Waikato Hospital’s intensive care unit earlier this week.
A car crashed over this bank after overtaking in wet conditions on Poripori Rd on July 15. Photo / Haley Doig
Meanwhile, he said it was “sheer luck” a 22-year-old man was not seriously injured or killed after losing control while overtaking in wet conditions on Poripori Rd and driving over a bank.
Ponga trees stopped his car from plunging into a stream, and he was rescued uninjured after the July 15 incident.
Hunter said every day there were crashes, even minor injury crashes, that could have ended in more serious consequences for the driver, their passengers or other road users.
“Given our busy state highways there is a small margin for error and people taking risks can easily become unstuck.
“My message to all road users is the same as police have been banging on about for some time – slow down and drive appropriately to the conditions, especially in wet weather.”
Senior Sergeant Wayne Hunter is reminding drivers to slow down and drive appropriately to the conditions. Photo / Alex Cairns
Hunter also pleaded with people to be fully aware of their surroundings, focus 100% on their driving and avoid taking risks.
“No one is invincible. People need to remember they are driving a deadly machine and speeding could end in catastrophic outcomes not only for themselves, but the people whose vehicle they hit.”
Hunter said over winter, he and his staff would continue to be “out and about” on state highways.
“And we won’t be shy about handing out tickets for speeding and other risky behaviours.”
June 26: Te Puke woman Lily Arabin, 34, died after a two-vehicle crash on Tauranga Eastern Link/SH2.
June 3: Passenger Amajit Singh, 25, from Te Puke, was found dead at a Te Puke address after a crash in Pongakawa.
May 9: Auckland man, 88, died in Tauranga Hospital three days after his car hit a tree near the BP Lakes petrol station.
February 3: Craig Jonas Honeybun, 55, of Tauranga, died after his vehicle left the road on Pukehina Pde and rolled into a creek.
January 28: Carey-Anne Edwards, 48, from Te Puke, died after a single-vehicle crash at the intersection of Kelly and Te Tumu Rds.
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.
