Earlier in the day, Whakatane boy James Ross Bucko Johnston, 15, accidentally shot himself while out duck shooting with two friends and a parent.
The Trident High School student had just bought a Mother's Day present before the accident at Matata, near Whakatane, on Sunday morning. He died at the scene.
Stave Hill said today that his brother was well loved and popular among his friends.
"In every single picture he took, he had the same cheeky smile. He is just strong, courageous and maybe even a little bit of an a**hole, and he always brightened up the room," he said.
"He loved golf, loved to play rugby and he just loved to go out, go hunting and do things."
Mr Hill said his brother's desire to become a mechanic had led him to join the air force.
"He had been in the air force coming up to four years. He always wanted to be a mechanic and mum said to him if you are going to be a mechanic, you will always be on mechanic wages, so he decided to join the air force and he always loved it," he said.
"He loved the sport and the family. He had lots of good friends."
RNZAF Squadron Leader Lyn Coromandel passed on his condolences to the Hill family.
"Our deepest sympathies have been passed to Aircraftman Hill's family and they will receive our full support over the coming months."
Tributes have been flowing in on social media for AC Hill.
"Can't get my head around how people who deserve the world, have it taken away from them so young," Brandon Jackson wrote on Facebook.
"You will be forever missed you daring bastard ... Josh Hill you absolute legend."
Another Facebook user wrote: "Going to miss you mate, will never forget that smile! Rest in peace brother".
Tyler Bouman said AC Hill was a good mate and "we will all miss your banter".
The pair of Mother's Day hunting tragedies have prompted a Government review of gun use.
Associate Conservation Minister Peter Dunne said today that such incidents had led him to "begin the process of initiating a review of unsafe and illegal gun use in the outdoors".
"Such a review will be asked to establish what the problems are, where responsibility might lie, and ultimately what we can do to reduce the risks of death and injury due to improper gun use."
Mr Dunne said after the review, he would ask the Game Animal Council to take its findings and work with the hunting and outdoors communities.
He said he did not wish to discourage anyone to stay at home in fear, but also urged the hunting community to keep gun safety front of mind.
"Unfortunately there seems to be an increasing frequency of firearm incidents causing injury or death. The worst aspect is that these incidents are largely preventable."
The Mountain Safety Council's hunter safety programme manager, Nicole McKee, today said both tragedies were a heartbreaking reminder of the importance of following basic firearms safety rules.
"Even the most experienced hunters can become complacent and, as these tragedies illustrate, a moment's complacency can destroy lives," she said.
"Load your firearm only when you're ready to fire and always, always, point your firearm in a safe direction.
"It might sound simple but it's often the simple things that trip people up. If there is a firearms incident, chances are that one or more of the seven basic rules have not been followed."
