A young Tongan man died after a single-vehicle crash on Umawera State High Way 1, Northland, New Zealand on Wednesday.
Len Courtenay, 22, died along with a friend at the scene at around 5.40pm, Police said.
His Tongan mother Makalita Angianga is expected to arrive in Houhora, Pukenui near Cape Reigna at the northwesternmost tip of the North Island for Courtenay’s funeral.
She said Courtenay had just celebrated his 22th birthday on July 20.
A prayer service is expected to take place at a residence in Māngere, south Auckland to remember Mr Courtenay.
Police previously said emergency services were notified of the crash.
Senior Sergeant Hayden Korach said the vehicle left the road on a right-hand bend, hit a tree and continued into a paddock.
He asked anybody who saw the vehicle, a Nissan Safari four-wheel drive, travelling between Kaikohe and Umawera on Wednesday night to contact police.
Police are still investigating the cause of the crash, but seatbelts may have been a factor, Korach said.
“We can’t say at this point whether they were or weren’t wearing seatbelts, but it appears they weren’t. It could have been a factor that would have saved one of them.”
