Head Hunters funeral procession briefly slowed traffic north of Foxton.
Video / Jenny Benfell
A motorcyclist who has suffered serious injuries after a crash on State Highway 1 in the Ruapehu District is understood to be a gang member who has fallen off their bike on the way back from a funeral in Foxton.
Police confirmed one person is in a serious condition after a single-vehicle crash on SH1 near Rangipo around 4.30pm today.
The Herald understands the rider is a member of the Head Hunters East, returning to Auckland from the funeral of William ‘Bird’ Hines near Foxton.
A police spokesperson said they responded to the incident at 4.38pm on Monday.
UPDATE 7:00PM, MON 27 NOV SH1 remains closed here. Please check the Highway Conditions Map, which is updated 24/7, for further information: https://t.co/F0fElLWQtB ^MS https://t.co/xWraTZff8j
“State Highway 1 is currently closed and diversions are in place,” police said.
SH1 remains closed south of Turangi between the SH1/SH46 intersection and the SH1/SH41 intersection.
On Saturday, around 100 gang members made the 500km procession journey on motorcycles from the Head Hunters’ East Auckland headquarters to Foxton for the tangi at Motuiti marae.
Senior Head Hunter member, Hines, comes from the Foxton area and is being buried alongside other family members at the Motuiti Marae urupā at Hīmatangi.
Hines was serving a 17-year prison sentence for running a methamphetamine syndicate, but was released by the Parole Board late last year on compassionate grounds.
He was living with type 2 diabetes, which required dialysis every second day and resulted in limb amputation, heart disease and end-stage renal failure.
Hines was released from prison shortly before his 70th birthday, and had been living with a family member who provided 24/7 care in his final months.
A previous Parole Board decision noted Hines wanted to “make peace with his whānau as a consequence of his offending history on them”.
