Police have released the name of the 14-year-old girl rushed to Starship Hospital following a crash in Tauranga earlier this month.

Ngawaira Wanata Kake died on August 17 as a result of injuries suffered in a crash on August 8.

The crash involved a car smashing into a tree at the intersection of Windsor and Bellevue roads.

A second 14-year-old girl was taken to Tauranga Hospital with serious injuries.

At the time of the crash, Western Bay of Plenty road policing manager Senior Sergeant Ian Campion said police were in the area around 9.40am after receiving reports of a stolen vehicle.

'A local officer spotted the stolen vehicle at the Bellevue Road and Miller Road intersection and turned around to begin following the driver.

'The officer lost sight of the car by the time he had turned around, and began to conduct a search of the area. A few minutes later, police received a report of a crash on the corner of Bellevue Road and Windsor Road.”

He says the police officer attended the scene to find the same stolen car had crashed into a tree.

Police inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the crash are ongoing.