This year's road toll so far is nearly on a par with the same period in 2017.
The heartbroken mother of a 5-year-old boy who died in a horrific Taupo car crash says she would give the world to have her child back.
Susan Kanuta has spoken publicly for the first time about her grief after the two-car crash that killed four people, including her son andmother, and seriously injured several others on October 10 last year.
Kanuta's mother, Helena Paul, was at the wheel of one of the cars and died at the scene, on State Highway 1 north of Taupo, alongside her grandson Hone Kanuta-Hawkins, 5, and Leighton Ahuriri, who was visiting from Australia for his 60th.
Paul's other grandson, toddler Kaydentz Kanuta, was airlifted to hospital with serious head injuries but survived and is doing well.
Paul was travelling from Hastings toward Auckland and in the days before had travelled from her hometown Kaikohe, in the Far North, down to Taupo and Hawke's Bay.
This week police confirmed their investigation had finished and concluded Paul was fatigued at the time of the crash and crossed the centre line.
Sisters Susan and Angela Kanuta are disbelieving and say their mother was a safe driver, who knew to pull over if she was tired.
"My mother would do anything not to hurt her mokopuna, she would give her last living breath to all of her mokos ... to save each and every one of her grandchildren," Susan Kanuta told the Herald on Sunday.
"My son was the best part of my mother and [they] had a bond like no other could imagine."
She said when she first heard of the accident she felt deadened, like her heart had fallen "right through my body".
Tiateima Launoa in hospital.
"I had no feeling in me whatsoever, I just wanted it to be all a big dream. My world has never been the same. I was hit in a way that I hope no other has to ever go through.
"I would give the world to have my baby back as he was only so small and too innocent ... just a baby, hadn't even started life yet."
In the other vehicle, driver Tiateima Launoa broke both his legs and some ribs and had to be cut out of the wreckage. Others in his car had broken bones.
A horrific crash north of Taupo has left four people dead and eight with moderate to serious injuries.
Launoa told the Herald he forgave Paul and wished her family the best.
The stay-at-home dad spent four months in hospital and hasn't been able to return to his part-time cleaning job while he continues rehabilitation.
"Even when I went to the hospital, when I was recovering and even now, I'm not angry. I forgive them," he said.
"I asked the cops ... to go and tell the family how sorry I am. Even though I'm not the one who was doing this, it was an accident. Accidents happen. They can happen any time."
Leighton Phillip Ahuriri, 60, a New Zealander residing in Western Australia, died in the crash near Taupo. Photo / Supplied
Angela Kanuta said her family had struggled since the deaths.
"Every day hurts. It's like every time we've managed to put one foot in front of the other something comes along and takes us 10 steps backwards.
"Five months and six days it has been since we laid our mother and nephew to rest, where we have gone from being such a tight unit to now being a unit of many broken hearts, and the hardest thing about this is our mother was the backbone of our unit."
The sisters expressed their condolences to Tiateima and Oliveti's families, and thanked the rescuers who had been at the scene.
Kirsty Ahuriri told the Herald there were a lot of unanswered questions about the crash that killed her father, and that her family was still feeling angry and upset.
Senior Sergeant Fane Troy said signs of driver fatigue included motorists crossing the centre line, weaving, slowing down and speeding up and encouraged anyone who saw that sort of driving to immediately call 111.
