Fatal Levin crash: New Plymouth school mourns staff killed in collision

The bend on State Highway 1 at Kuku, near Levin, where two vehicles collided, killing four people.

Three of the four people who died in a horror crash worked at a New Plymouth school and were heading home after attending the Covid response protest at Parliament.

Four people died in the crash involving a truck and a van on State Highway 1 south of Levin yesterday.

Staff at Devon Intermediate School are in shock and mourning after learning the news yesterday.

Principal Jenny Gellen confirmed three of those who died worked at the school.

One was the school caretaker, one was a teacher aide and another was a class teacher.

"Devon Intermediate is shocked and saddened to announce that three of our staff members passed away yesterday in a crash near Levin," Gellen said.

"All were extremely valued staff who will be sadly missed."

In a post to Facebook, the Freedoms & Rights Coalition thanked the four victims for their "courage" in attending Tuesday's protest.

"We salute and honour you not just for your fight for freedom, but for all you have done in this life, and all you have been to those who loved you.

"We send all our thoughts, love and gratitude to their families, friends, and the Devon Intermediate School community during this time.

"Thank you for your courage to stand for your beliefs! We will continue to stand for you."

We wish to express our sadness today hearing the news about those who lost their lives yesterday afternoon. These...

Posted by The Freedoms & Rights Coalition on Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Gellen said the incident was the last thing people would wish on anyone or a school.

"But most importantly the families. And all of them were family people."

Gellen declined to comment on the Government's Covid mandate or its impact on the school and said she was currently focusing on supporting staff, students and wider whānau of those who had died.

The banner the group were holding at yesterday's protest at Parliament was also shared on the school's post - it read 'We don't stand as one we stand as a team'.

"They were standing up for their freedoms and the freedoms of others," the woman wrote.

"This mandate is so wrong and if it wasn't there they wouldn't have needed to stand yesterday.

"May their courage and conviction be remembered and honoured and may they rest in eternal love. Sincere condolences to the family and friends and their school community."

The banner the group of Devon Intermediate School staff were holding at the protest in Wellington yesterday.

Police confirmed the van had four occupants - who all died - while the truck driver was taken to Palmerston North Hospital for treatment.

'Taken way too soon'

The family of the caretaker have also posted of their loss on social media today.

"I miss you dad. Taken way to soon, I love you forever & always," the man's daughter wrote.

The man's wife wrote, "Oh my love, I will love and miss you forever. Taken doing something you truly believed in with all my support, my freedom fighter. Love you."

The group had attended the protest outside Parliament, organised by the Freedoms and Rights Coalition which wants an end to Covid restrictions and vaccine mandates.

About 11.45am, a group of around 100 motorcycles arrived at Parliament, followed by thousands of protesters shouting "freedom now!"

Those in the crowd included young and old, and a diverse mix of ethnicities. Protest signs ranged from anti-vaccine to "Trump 2020", alongside tino rangatiratanga and United Tribes flags.

Anti-vaccine campaigner and lawyer Sue Grey​ told the Herald she heard about the news last night.

Earlier in the day, several groups who had come to the protest made it known they were facing long delays because of a crash on the highway.

There were a lot of devastating circumstances happening in the world right now, she said.

"But that's particularly devastating, for sure."

She said yesterday's event had been a huge one and to find out a number of people who were there standing up for their rights had died in the accident was tragic.

Grey said she understood one of the victims was from Taranaki.

Although she did not personally know the group, she remembers speaking to someone from Taranaki yesterday.

"There were a lot of people there. You don't know if it's someone who you'd spoken to during the day."

Mayor says crash scene the 'killing fields'

Kāpiti's mayor is demanding urgent safety action to fix the "killing fields" stretch of State Highway 1 where four people died yesterday.

Kāpiti Coast mayor K Gurunathan described the stretch of State Highway 1 between Ōtaki and Levin as the "killing fields highway".

The latest crash highlighted the urgent need for the Government to build the new expressway earlier, he said.

"Following two consecutive accidents and deaths back in November 2018, in a joint statement with the Horowhenua Mayor, I reminded NZTA of the observation made by former coroner Philip Comber who noted that over the past 25 years the road had become "a killing field marked like a battlefield with white crosses".

"It's now November 2021 and little seems to have changed," Gurunathan said.

The Automobile Association said the crash area was one of the worst black spots in the country.

Horowhenua district mayor Bernie Wanden said the stretch of road was renowned for being unsafe and desperately needed to be improved.

"There's already been three fatalities in the area this year at least and this is just adding to the terrible statistics.

"It's a stretch of road between Ōhau and Manakau with a passing lane going south and a turn off to Kuku Beach.

"Around that bend we have a lot of issues."

Waka Kotahi responds

Linda Stewart, Waka Kotahi director of regional relationships, said the police serious crash unit was investigating the crash and they would receive their report once it was completed.

"As with all serious crashes on the state highway network, Waka Kotahi will also carry out our own investigation. We are unable to comment specifically on the crash until these investigations are complete."

Stewart said construction of a new four-lane highway between Otaki and Levin was planned to begin in 2025 but in the meantime, it had planned "a number of safety improvements for this stretch of SH1, including wide centrelines, stretches of side barriers and a review of speeds to ensure they're safe and appropriate".

"Proposals for these safety improvements were shared with the community in July/August and work on infrastructure is scheduled to begin mid-2022.

"We are currently exploring the possibility of bringing some or all of this work forward, or putting temporary measures in place in the interim, and will be working closely with Horowhenua District Council and police on this."