Pair killed in crash ‘so lovely together’
‘‘They were the most amazing people. They always had positive vibes.’’
That’s how friend Shannaliese Devynne-Rangi Tiepa describes Shaun Luke Hattrill, 21, and Nicola Jane Henare, 19, who were killed in a car crash near their home of Mataura on Sunday.
Hattrill and Henare were rear-seat passengers in the car that crashed on State Highway 1, and they died at the scene.
The driver of the dark blue Holden Commodore was injured and taken to Dunedin Hospital, and the front-seat passenger was taken to Southland Hospital.
Henare’s brother Jorden Henare said the tragedy was a reminder to treasure loved ones.
‘‘The good die young. They were innocent, fun-loving young kids,’’ Henare said.
‘‘My sister was one of the kindest, most innocent people I have ever known,’’ he said. ‘‘[I] love and miss them both.’’ Devynne-Rangi Tiepa, who lives in Invercargill, last saw Hattrill and Henare a few weeks ago.
She said the couple had been together for about three years and were ‘‘so lovely together’’.
Both were keen sportspeople – Hattrill was a rugby player while Henare played ice hockey.
In their downtime, ‘‘they enjoyed hanging out with their friends, drinking and cruising’’, Devynne-Rangi Tiepa said.
‘‘I’m glad that they were together [when they died], and that they’re up there together,’’ she said.
New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation president Andy Mills knew Henare for about 10 years. He coached her on representative teams.
‘‘She was very talented,’’ Mills said.
‘‘It is a tragic loss and she had the world at her feet.’’
Henare loved coaching younger players, sitting on the bench with them and teaching them hockey, Mills said.
A minute’s silence would be observed at the New Zealand Women’s Ice Hockey League match between Southern and Auckland, in Queenstown on Friday, Mills said.
The New Zealand under-18 team playing in Mexico today planned to wear black armbands in honour of Henare, Mills said.
The tight-knit ice hockey community was in shock, he said.
Jack Clayton, who grew up with Hattrill in Gore, said the couple would be missed by the community.
He said it was a tragedy to lose a couple with ‘‘so much potential’’.
‘‘Shaun was one of those people that had time for anyone in need, and no matter how hard his day was, he would never let you down as a mate,’’ Clayton said.
Meanwhile, police were talking to the driver of a red Subaru Impreza station wagon in relation to the crash, which happened about 5pm on Sunday.
While the Impreza was not directly involved in the crash, there were initial indications it may have been linked, a police spokesperson said.
They said both the cars were believed to have travelled south through Mataura and Gore before the crash.
Police would like to hear from anyone who saw the Impreza or the Commodore in the time leading up to the crash.