Two young people lost their lives in a car accident partly because they made some bad choices but ultimately the driver was responsible, a coroner has ruled.
Louise Reichenbach, 20, and Bailey Kinita, 14, died after receiving fatal head injuries in the early morning crash on Foxton Beach Road on February 20, 2011. The Ford Telstar in which they were killed was overloaded with seven passengers.
Miss Reichenbach was sitting in the footwell of the front passenger's seat, while Bailey was on a friend's knee. Neither victim wore a seatbelt.
The duo were returning from a party in Himatangi where a 21st birthday was being celebrated. Supervising the party was property owner Charles Hadley, his partner and four adult friends.
Coroner Tim Scott concluded in his report released earlier this week that the party was appropriately managed and it would be unreasonable to expect the organisers to know where or how the partygoers left the address.