New Year’s Eve crash victim named

Police have released the name of the man who died following a two-vehicle, head-on crash near Nelson on New Year’s Eve.

He was Matthew Peter Dow, 23, of Canterbury.

Dow, the driver of one of the vehicles, died at the scene of the crash along the Appleby Highway near the intersection of Blackbyre Rd. There were five people in the other vehicle who were treated for minor to moderate injuries, including two children.

Earlier this week, Senior Sergeant Blair Hall said the serious crash unit was investigating and would determine whether charges would be laid.

‘‘It was a high-speed crash, which spread debris over a considerable area,’’ Hall said.

Nelson police on Wednesday issued a statement saying they wanted to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the events leading up to the crash, which happened about 9pm.

‘‘We would like to speak to people who were in the Nelson region and may have seen a dark grey Nissan 4x4 being driven between Tahunanui and the Appleby Highway between 8pm and 9pm on 31 December,’’ the statement said.

‘‘Investigators are particularly interested in sightings of the vehicle overtaking a small campervan just north of the Appleby overbridge, just prior to the crash.’’

Yesterday, Detective Sergeant Ian Langridge said noone had yet come forward as a result of the statement.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand Nelson senior station officer Craig Davies said he arrived to a ‘‘horrendous’’ scene following the crash.

‘‘There was at least 100m of debris, a lot of children’s gear, bikes, and bits and pieces,’’ he said.