A man has admitted he was under the influence of cannabis when he crashed causing the death of a 2-year-old girl near Rotorua.
But the identity of the man and some details of the case cannot be made public at present.
Sakura Hall died on May 22 last year on Dansey Rd near Mamaku after the car she was travelling in crashed into a stationary rubbish truck just before 8am.
The man who was driving the car appeared in the Rotorua District Court today and pleaded guilty to a charge of drugged driving causing death.
After the crash he was found to have nearly three times the high-risk level of cannabis in his blood.
His lawyer, Andy Hill, said that while the man admitted the charge, he disputed some of the police’s facts outlined in their summary.
Hill asked the court for an adjournment to allow the Crown to consider the defence’s expert evidence relating to the facts of the case.
He said a dispute of facts hearing would need to be held if the parties couldn’t agree.
Hill said a name suppression hearing had been partly heard, but more court time was needed for it to be completed.
Judge Joanne Wickliffe said the case would be called on April 20 for a date to be set for the name suppression hearing to be finished.
She remanded the case to also be called on May 20 to advise if the summary of facts could be agreed upon.
Police on Dansey Rd after the fatal crash on May 22 last year. Photo / Ben Fraser
A charging document supplied to the Rotorua Daily Post said a blood sample taken from the man after the crash contained evidence of THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis. It said the concentration of THC was 8 nanograms per millilitre of blood. The legally defined high-risk level is 3 nanograms.
The Land Transport Act 1998 charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment or a fine of $20,000.
Sakura was five weeks from her third birthday when she died.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
4 comments
Crimestoppers
Posted on 16-04-2026 10:16 | By Yadick
I have rung Crimestoppers on many occasions due to my neighbor and their mates smoking Marijuana and doing meth and then driving. These are kids of around 16yrs - 18yrs old. NOTHING gets done. I guess we just have to wait until there's another innocent person or 2 killed.
VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH CRIMESTOPPERS. A waste time, just like it'll be a waste of innocent lives.
Tragic
Posted on 18-04-2026 14:43 | By morepork
A beautiful little girl cut off because of someone's self indulgence, and now a young man has his life ruined because he made a bad decision.
Whatever the Court finds, Sakura will be with him for the rest of his life.
What does it take to get people to realize that a motor vehicle is a lethal weapon and your failure to accept this might have Earth-shattering consequences?
If your judgement is impaired by substances, alcohol, extreme emotional states, or any other influencing factor, leave your car keys on the hook and walk, or go and do something else until you have full control back.
@Yadick
Posted on 18-04-2026 14:53 | By morepork
Sorry to see your comment on Crimestoppers; you are right to contact them when there is cause. I thought about the situation after I read your post. They probably can't do anything unless an offence has occurred. Nevertheless, it certainly wouldn't do any harm for a formal warning to be given to these guys, at least.
I guess our Police are simply too busy to worry about "misdemeanours" in the face of the real crime they have to deal with.
But that was the whole point of my other post: what starts out as a "misdemeanour" is immediately compounded into something much more serious when someone gets behind the wheel of a car.
Maybe your neighbours need to see this article?
@ morepork
Posted on 20-04-2026 08:13 | By Yadick
Gidday morepork. I absolutely hear what you're saying. However, smoking Marijuana and meth and then intentionally and deliberately going on to drive what has now in their hands become a potential weapon of mass destruction is a crime. I have watched these kids getting carried off the street by their so-called mates because they cannot even walk. Perhaps if the 'misdemeanors' were dealt with then 'real crime' figures would come down.
We need to get serious about crime.
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