School community shocked by staff deaths in Levin crash

Wednesday, 10 November 2021

A tino rangatiratanga flag sits among the long grass near the crash scene.

A school community is reeling following the death of three staff in a car crash south of Levin.

Four occupants of a van were killed when it collided with a truck on State Highway 1 near Kuku East Rd at 3pm on Tuesday.

Those in the van had been returning to Taranaki having attended the protest at Parliament earlier in the day.

Three of them worked at Devon Intermediate School in New Plymouth – a teacher, teacher aide and caretaker.

In a statement, the school’s principal, Jenny Gellen, said staff and students were shocked and saddened by the tragic deaths.

“All were extremely valued and important members of staff who will be sadly missed.”

A vigil for the four is being held at Ngamotu Beach in New Plymouth at 7.30pm. The social media invite requests attendees follow level 2 guidelines, social distancing and to wear masks if they can.

A cross on the roadside indicates the stretch of highway’s grim reputation for serious crashes.

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New Plymouth Principals' Association co-chair Brigitte Luke said the region's education community was “shocked and deeply saddened' to hear of the loss of members of their education community.

Luke offered her condolences to the staff, students and whanau of those who died.

She also said the Ministry of Education’s crisis team was working alongside the school during this difficult time.

The driver of the truck was injured in the crash and was taken to Palmerston North Hospital in a serious condition. They were in a stable condition on Wednesday morning.

The crash occurred at a bend in the highway close to St Stephen's Church.

The road was closed for several hours on Tuesday afternoon following the crash, before reopening at 7.25pm.

On Wednesday morning there was little evidence at the crash scene of the previous day’s carnage.

Some road cones were still in place and a tino rangatiratanga flag had been placed on the roadside. The crash appears to have happened right outside St Stephen’s Church.

On the other side of the road, flowers have been placed on an ageing cross. It is not the first time this bend of the highway has been the scene of tragedy.

The investigation into the cause of the crash continues, and police would like to hear from any witnesses or anyone who was travelling on the road at the time of the crash and who has dash cam footage.

Anyone who has any information that could help the police is asked to call 105 and quote file number 211109/3758.

A dangerous stretch of highway

The stretch of highway has a notorious reputation. Three other people have died on the road in the past eight months.

It is set to be replaced by the Ōtaki to Levin expressway; a 24-kilometre, four-lane highway that will run slightly east of SH1, avoiding Manakau and Ōhau, before connecting with SH1 north of Levin.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency director of regional relationships Linda Stewart said the agency was carrying out its own investigation and taking steps to make the road safer.

Proposals for several safety measures, including wide centrelines, side barriers and speed limit changes were shared with the community in August, and work on those was scheduled to begin by 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.”

The new expressway would dramatically improve safety for motorists on SH1 and construction was planned to start in 2025.

Automobile Association (AA) spokesman Dylan Thomsen said the stretch of highway was “one of the highest risk pieces of New Zealand road for at least a decade”.

There have been 31 fatal crashes between Ōtaki and Levin on State Highway 1 between 2000 and 2019, according to Waka Kotahi’s crash analysis system.

AA figures showed another six deaths and 17 people seriously injured between 2019 and 2021.

Thomsen said the AA and community had been calling for urgent action for years, most recently in February.

Construction on the $817 million project would not be finished until 2029, and he said it was too long to wait.

“It needs to happen sooner.”

Thomsen said there had been some progress, with Waka Kotahi reviewing the speed limit on the road and committing to more safety measures.

“The AA would prefer some form of median barrier … [but] the simple fact is you can’t retrofit that road to get it to the safety standards needed for a national highway.”

Thomsen said one issue was the number of intersections, residential driveways and businesses along that stretch, where vehicles were turning on to a very busy highway.

The stretch of State Highway 1 between Ōtaki and Levin is notorious. Seven people have died in crashes on the road over the past eight months.

“Whenever we build a new, modern, highway it greatly reduces [crashes] because there are less opportunities for mistakes when vehicles turn out of a side road, or cross the centre line.”

The area around the Ōhau Bridge was also prone to flooding.

Kāpiti Coast mayor K Gurunathan said that although Waka Kotahi had made some safety investments in the road in recent years, its “bandage approach” was not enough.

Following two consecutive fatal crashes in 2018, Gurunathan made a joint statement with the Horowhenua mayor to Waka Kotahi urging it to take more thorough action.

Gurunathan said he reminded the agency that former coroner Philip Comber had noted the road had become a “killing field, marked like a battlefield with white crosses” over the past 25 years.

“It is now November 2021 and little seems to have changed.

“Again I appeal to the transport minister to step in as this systemic killing field scenario is contrary to the Government’s stated priority on safety. Our thoughts are with the injured and affected families.”

Gurunathan said a safety review was urgently needed, with the summer holiday season and its increased traffic fast approaching.

MP for Ōtaki Terisa Ngobi said she would be advocating Waka Kotahi bring forward work on safer speeds and infrastructure upgrades.

In an emailed statement, in which she offered condolences, Ngobi said the Government was committed to making a new safe highway from Ōtaki to the north of Levin, as the current stretch of road was dangerous.

She said this was being progressed as quickly as possible.

“But obviously we can’t wait until it’s done to have safer roads for our community.

“While a number of safety improvements were completed between Ōtaki and Levin in 2018, including flexible posts on flush medians, static signs and the repainting of existing road markings – more needs to be done.

Community engagement has just ended on safer speeds and infrastructure upgrades for SH1 south of Levin and my understanding is implementation should begin mid next year, she said.

“I’ll be advocating to Waka Kotahi NZTA that these are brought forward and done as soon as possible.”