The body of 16-year-old Kyah Kennedy is carried into the Te Rau Aroha Marae in Bluff for his tangi on Tuesday. Photo / George Heard
The body of 16-year-old Kyah Kennedy is carried into the Te Rau Aroha Marae in Bluff for his tangi on Tuesday. Photo / George Heard
The funeral for 16-year-old Kyah Kennedy who died in a crash in Invercargill is being held today.
Kennedy and three friends, O Maruhuatau Otuwhare Tawhai, 17, Konnor Steele, 16, and Indaka Rouse, 16, died in a head-on collision with a concrete truck on Queens Drive, Invercargill, on April 22.
Today,friends and family gathered for his funeral at the Te Rau Aroha Marae in Bluff.
Before the service began, a slideshow with photos of Kennedy was played. His family could be seen sitting on the floor of the marae next to photos of him.
The mood was solemn with a large crowd in attendance.
Police and Māori wardens blocked off Conon St from traffic as the group held the service on the road outside of the marae.
A funeral for Konnor Steele was also held yesterday. His coffin was brought across the Bluff Rugby club field on the back of a ute with his brother and dad sitting in the open air with him.
A large crowd of people gathered outside before moving inside the clubrooms.
There were around 200 people still gathering outside the clubrooms, unable to get inside the packed funeral service.
