NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Fatal Glenavy crash: 'Men would still be alive if one wasn't speeding'

By Hamish MacLean
Otago Daily Times·
26 Dec, 2017 07:29 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Facts about the christmas road toll such as the highest and lowest amount of deaths and the factors involved.

The two men who died in a two-car head-on crash near Glenavy, north of Oamaru, yesterday morning would still be alive if not for the "incredibly" high speed of one of the drivers, a cop says.

The crash was followed by two other southern crashes that caused multiple injuries yesterday.

Five people were injured in a crash in the Lindis Pass in the late afternoon, and six people were hurt in a crash in South Canterbury.

Emergency services attend a crash in the Lindis Pass yesterday. Photo / Supplied
Emergency services attend a crash in the Lindis Pass yesterday. Photo / Supplied

Mid-South Canterbury area commander Inspector Dave Gaskin of Timaru said it was "pretty apparent" the northbound vehicle was travelling at well over the 100km/h speed limit when the crash happened shortly after 8am less than 1km north of Glenavy on State Highway 1.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"If you want to be hard-nosed and callous about it - if he was travelling at the speed limit, he would still be alive, and so would the other gentleman," Gaskin said.

"It was obviously an incredibly high-impact crash. Two vehicles coming together at 100km/h in opposite directions produces an awful lot of kinetic energy - but one of the vehicles was travelling well in excess of that speed.

"One of the vehicles as a result of the impact has split and basically broken in half - half of that vehicle has ended up 40m to 50m up the road and across the fence and in a paddock," Gaskin said.

The driver of the northbound vehicle that split in half was thrown from his car.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The southbound car was taken to Timaru so firefighters could free the driver's body.

Police could not provide further details about the men until they were formally identified.

"Because of the injuries suffered it is going to take a little bit of time to do that," Gaskin said.

Glenavy Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Bevin Joyce said it rained overnight and was raining at the time of the crash.

Discover more

New Zealand

Map shows Xmas crash black spots

26 Dec 04:00 PM
New Zealand

Two dead in Waimate crash

25 Dec 07:59 PM
New Zealand

Police name victim of fatal crash

27 Dec 07:57 AM
New Zealand

Holiday road chaos: Dozens injured, killed in crashes over holiday period so far

26 Dec 07:42 PM

He heard the northbound vehicle speed through town, and was not surprised to get the call to the crash, he said.

The initial report said a car was on fire, but that was not the case.

"The call was 'car on fire and rolled', but it hadn't actually ignited.

"There was a lot of heat generated and a lot of steam. There wasn't actually a fire," Joyce said.

The northbound vehicle had crossed the centre line, he said. The driver had been thrown from the car, which disintegrated on impact.

"This was totally preventable and it was just caused by speed and not driving to the conditions - and as a result there's two more fatalities," Mr Joyce said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Traffic was rerouted along Glenavy-Tawai and Old Ferry Rds throughout the day.

The deaths took the holiday road toll to seven.

A few hours later, six people were injured when two cars collided near Orari, in South Canterbury.

Two of the six were taken to Christchurch Hospital with serious injuries. The other four were taken to Timaru Hospital with moderate injuries.

The crash happened at the intersection of Orari Station Rd and State Highway 1 about 11.30am.

In the Lindis Pass, one person was seriously injured and four people suffered minor injuries after a two-car crash near Omarama just before 5.15pm.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The patients were taken to Dunedin Hospital and Oamaru Hospital.

This year's holiday period started at 4pm on Friday and ends at 6am on January 4.

The other fatal crashes this holiday period were:

A female driver died in a three-car pile-up on SH5 near Hamurana in Rotorua on Sunday.

A person was killed Sunday in Pourerere Rd in central Hawke's Bay after a car rolled down a bank.

Boney Biju died on his way home from his 21st birthday party after his car left the road and hit a tree near Hanmer Springs on Christmas Eve.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Fijian national Lalita Devi was a passenger in a car that crashed on SH14 at Maungatapere on Saturday.

On Friday, taxi driver Abdul Raheem Fahad Syed, 29, died in central Auckland after his car was hit by another.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Aspiring pilot, Massey University student accused of sharing child abuse videos from campus

07 Jul 06:00 AM
New ZealandUpdated

'Huge shock': Community mourns beloved postie killed on final delivery

07 Jul 05:59 AM
Premium
Politics

Seymour reckons banks are 'fairly taxed', expects Willis' work will find same

07 Jul 05:47 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Aspiring pilot, Massey University student accused of sharing child abuse videos from campus

Aspiring pilot, Massey University student accused of sharing child abuse videos from campus

07 Jul 06:00 AM

Marc Dmello wanted his name secret, fearing it could harm his chance of becoming a pilot.

'Huge shock': Community mourns beloved postie killed on final delivery

'Huge shock': Community mourns beloved postie killed on final delivery

07 Jul 05:59 AM
Premium
Seymour reckons banks are 'fairly taxed', expects Willis' work will find same

Seymour reckons banks are 'fairly taxed', expects Willis' work will find same

07 Jul 05:47 AM
'Keep an eye out': Police appeal for missing woman in Auckland

'Keep an eye out': Police appeal for missing woman in Auckland

07 Jul 05:46 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP