Boy, 13, woken up to drive death car

A thirteen-year-old boy woken up to drive drinking guests home from an all-night wedding party could face serious criminal charges after he crashed, killing a teenage relative.

Mary-Lee Huata, 17, was travelling home from the wedding after-party at a nearby marae when the Toyota Hilux truck she was in crashed in Putere Rd, Raupunga, 7km south of Wairoa, about 5.30am on Monday.

Her death took the holiday road toll to three.

A relative told The Dominion Post he understood that the 13-year-old who was behind the wheel was Mary-Lee's cousin. "All I know was the young boy was woken up to drive them. There were four to five still drinking."

The group had been at a Boxing Day party after Mary-Lee's mother was married on Christmas Day.

Sergeant Aubrey Ormond of Wairoa said the boy could face serious criminal charges despite his age. Police would investigate why he was behind the wheel – including whether or not he was the only person sober enough to drive. Serious crash investigators would also consider weather conditions, speed and other possible factors in the crash.

A large family contingent was with Mary-Lee's body at a Wairoa mortuary last night.

"They got together to celebrate a happy family occasion and this has happened," Mr Ormond said. "From the big turnout up there [in the mortuary] I would say they have really been hit – really feeling this loss."

Sergeant Matt King said the boy came forward to police on Monday night. He had been referred to Youth Aid.

At present, teens aged 14 and older can be prosecuted for most offences, with 12 years the minimum for some serious crimes. Children as young as 10 can be liable in murder or manslaughter cases.

Mary-Lee's aunt Ina Huata said on Monday that all five people in the car were related.

Mary-Lee's funeral will be at Mohaka Marae, Raupunga, at 2pm on Saturday. "Our precious Mary-Lee. Our Fatty, Our big Gurl. Your smiling face and happy laugh will be sadly missed," her funeral notice says.

Wairoa College principal Brian Simpson said Mary-Lee left the school about a year ago. "She was an average, normal student. She wouldn't have claimed to be a particularly great scholar," he said.

The cause of a separate accident in Hawke's Bay at 5.15pm on Monday has not been established. It involved a truck and trailer and three cars and put 12 people in hospital.

"It was a scene of carnage, with injured people and smashed cars strewn along the highway," Senior Sergeant Luke Shadbolt said.

No charges had yet been laid.

Hawke's Bay Hospital said three people remained in serious condition last night, and five more were stable.

An 18-year-old Hastings girl was also in a critical condition in the hospital last night after a single-vehicle crash in Te Mata Mangateretere Rd, Hastings, at 5.55am on Monday.

The official holiday period is from 4pm on Christmas Eve till 6am on January 5. Last year 13 people died during the period.

Police figures show crash numbers are lower than in the first four days of the holiday periods for the past two years – 22 per cent below two years ago and 5 per cent below last year.

National road policing manager Superintendent Paula Rose said the drop, as well as fewer calls reporting bad driving, were signs overall travel behaviour was improving.

- © Fairfax NZ News