Police told the Herald emergency services were called to the scene last weekend after two cars collided in the northbound lane of the motorway.
The driver of the first vehicle was unable to be revived and died at the scene, they said.
Their passenger and the driver of the second vehicle were taken to Wellington Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
A witness to the aftermath of the crash told the Herald the crash involved a car and an SUV, and believed the car received significant damage to its front when colliding with the right side of the SUV.
The Serious Crash Unit attended and the motorway was closed until 3.45am.
An Uber spokeswoman confirmed the man who died was an Uber driver taking a passenger.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of a long-term member of the Uber driver community. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and friends at this difficult time and we have reached out to offer our support,” she said.
“Our public safety team is working with NZ Police as they investigate this incident.”
General secretary of the union that covers Uber drivers, Dennis Maga, said many workers picked up work in what they called the “dangerous hours” to make ends meet.
Maga, speaking on behalf of First Union, said between 7pm and 4am were dangerous times for those working in the transport industry, particularly because more drivers were taking intoxicated passengers.
“They don’t want to say no to those kinds of passengers,” he said, noting if drivers lost their five-star rating it would negatively impact their ability to make an income.
These passengers posed a risk in multiple ways, including by changing the music, being rowdy, and if they vomited in the car.
“Of course you have to charge the passengers for that [but] if ever you can avoid it as much as possible you have to avoid it.”
If drivers needed to speak to passengers about their behaviour it meant they might have to deal with an escalating incident.
Maga said despite the issues with night jobs, many drivers had to work during these hours to make enough money to live on. He said drivers had to work about 10 hours to make what another person might make in a regular eight-hour shift.
He wanted to see industry standards brought in that provided health and safety training for drivers, as well as protections around their ratings, which would allow them to turn down jobs that could negatively affect them.
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice, and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.
