A young Tongan man died after a single-vehicle crash on Umawera State High Way 1, Northland, New Zealand.
Police said Len Courtenay, 22 and a friend died at the scene at around 5.40pm on Wednesday.
Kaniva News reports Len’s mother Makalita Angianga is expected to arrive in Houhora, Pukenui near Cape Reigna at the northwestern-most tip of the North Island for his 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 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.”
Photo supplied to Kaniva News Caption: Makalita Angianga and her son Len Courtenay