Driver in Rotorua crash that killed Sakura Hall, 2, admits he was on drugs

Sakura Hall, 2, died on May 22, 2025, after the car she was a passenger in hit a stationary rubbish truck. Photo / Supplied

A man has admitted he was under the influence of cannabis when he crashed causing the death of a 2-year-old girl near Rotorua.

But the identity of the man and some details of the case cannot be made public at present.

Sakura Hall died on May 22 last year on Dansey Rd near Mamaku after the car she was travelling in crashed into a stationary rubbish truck just before 8am.

The man who was driving the car appeared in the Rotorua District Court today and pleaded guilty to a charge of drugged driving causing death.

After the crash he was found to have nearly three times the high-risk level of cannabis in his blood.

His lawyer, Andy Hill, said that while the man admitted the charge, he disputed some of the police’s facts outlined in their summary.

Hill asked the court for an adjournment to allow the Crown to consider the defence’s expert evidence relating to the facts of the case.

He said a dispute of facts hearing would need to be held if the parties couldn’t agree.

Hill said a name suppression hearing had been partly heard, but more court time was needed for it to be completed.

Judge Joanne Wickliffe said the case would be called on April 20 for a date to be set for the name suppression hearing to be finished.

She remanded the case to also be called on May 20 to advise if the summary of facts could be agreed upon.

Police on Dansey Rd after the fatal crash on May 22 last year. Photo / Ben Fraser

A charging document supplied to the Rotorua Daily Post said a blood sample taken from the man after the crash contained evidence of THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis. It said the concentration of THC was 8 nanograms per millilitre of blood. The legally defined high-risk level is 3 nanograms.

The Land Transport Act 1998 charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment or a fine of $20,000.

Sakura was five weeks from her third birthday when she died.

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.