Tauranga man killed in crash

The death of a Tauranga man killed in a motorbike crash on State Highway 5, near Napier, is under investigation.

Rhys Middleton was killed on Sunday when he and a car collided on the highway around 10am.


Rhys Middleton was killed in a motorbike crash on State Highway 5. Photo: Facebook.

Police says the 23-year-old was riding with several other motorcyclists, including family members, heading home following a gathering in Havelock North on Saturday night.

Police are investigating the crash and say while they still do not know the cause, suggestions the car crossed the centre line have not been ruled out.

The car was being driven by a Chinese woman who is in New Zealand on a 12-month working visa.

Senior Constable Cory Ubels of the Serious Crash Unit says Rhys' father and brother were riding with him when the crashed happened, reports Stuff.

"We're just in the process of collecting all the data, speaking to all the witnesses, making sure we've got all the evidence before we start looking into the cause of the crash.”

According to Rhys' Facebook page, he lived in Tauranga and studied at Tauranga Boys' College.

The club posted a tribute on Facebook, calling Rhys a legend, with members proud to call him 'a mate, bro and club member”.

The fatal crash, which closed SH5 for more than four hours, was the fifth death of the Waitangi long weekend.

On Friday two men were killed after their cars collided at Te Kowhai, just outside Hamilton, about 10pm.

An hour earlier a 51-year-old man died in Taranaki after he lost control of his motorbike.

In the early hours of Saturday morning a 23-year-old man was also killed in a Manawatu crash.

-Additional reporting from Stuff.co.nz

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2 comments

Compulsory Driving School For Foreigners

Posted on 10-02-2016 21:56 | By Tep

This should be a given before they are given a rental or allowed to purchase a vehicle. We need to know that they understand English and instructions given in English. We also need to know if they can drive on our narrow roads and our four seasons in one day conditions. I dont care if we lose money due to these actions its better than losing lives. Alternatively make road rules the same around the world......just a thought!


Tourist need plates like learners have L plates.

Posted on 11-02-2016 13:26 | By dreamingofacruise

Totally agree with you Tep. Family have started a facebook page named T Plates 4 Tourists. Please join so we can get enough people together to do something about this.


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