Crash victim remembered as kind and loving

Paula Heke has been remembered as a kind and loving mother, after she was killed in a crash at Te Puna at the weekend. Photo/file

The Tauranga mother killed in a head-on collision on a dark, rural road at Te Puna has been remembered for the generous help she gave others.

Paula Heke died when the car she was driving crash on Te Puna Rd just after midnight on Saturday night.

Elders have since called for greater action at making the area safer.

Friends spoken to by the Bay of Plenty Times today described Ms Heke as a kind and loving person who was very community focussed, with an "awesome" work ethic.

The keen gardener was always ready to lend a hand on Pirirakau hapu's four marae and regularly helped out at Te Puna fundraising events.

Ms Heke's tangi will be held on Te Puna's Paparoa Marae, the marae of her partner Louis Borell.

The couple have two teenage children who attend Tauranga Boys' College and Tauranga Girls' College.

Ms Heke's late father was from Ngati Hangarau hapu's marae in Bethlehem Rd.

Ms Heke's death comes on top of a devastating month for road fatalities in the Western Bay of Plenty after five Tongans were killed in a crash with a truck at Aongatete on August 3.