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A 21-year-old man has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and failing to stop after a crash that killed a Christchurch multi-sport athlete while he was cycling on Evans Pass Rd earlier this year.
The NZ Herald named the driver as Tyson Stechman after his interim name suppression was lifted at the hearing in the Christchurch District Court on Thursday morning.
He pleaded guilty to charges of dangerous driving causing death and failing to stop to ascertain injury. Stechman will be sentenced in October.
Dr Ian Huntsman, a 60-year-old aeronautical engineer and Coast to Coast instructor, was cycling on Evans Pass Rd about 5.30pm on February 22 when the crash happened near the intersection of Sumnervale Drive.
He was taken to Christchurch Hospital and placed in the intensive care unit with serious injuries, but he died in hospital on March 4.
After Huntsman’s death, many people shared their condolences with his partner former Christchurch detective, Wendy Riach.
“Ian was an amazing guy and will be missed by many,” one friend said.
Another said they were “heartbroken” and “in shock”.
“Words cannot express our deepest sympathies and sorrow. Ian was the nicest and kindest-hearted person we’ve gotten to know. To say that he will be missed is an understatement,” they said.
“We hope that you find strength and comfort knowing that he was loved by many and will be missed, but never forgotten, as he continues his journey.”
Huntsman had previously evaded death when a boulder struck him in 2020 near Aoraki/Mount Cook in Canterbury.
He fell about 100m down a rock face and landed headfirst in a stream.
He was climbing with Riach at the time, and she managed to get him to safety.
Huntsman recovered enough to take part in the Coast to Coast in 2024.
The crash also prompted a Christchurch city councillor to call for safety improvements on Evans Pass Rd.
In March, Heathcote Ward city councillor Nathaniel Herz Jardin made a plea for action to address safety concerns on the road.
It came after Sumner residents Jason Irvine, Paul Bimler and Ian Skelton addressed the Waihoro-Spreydon-Cashmere-Heathcote Community Board at the end of last year about safety concerns on the road, particularly vehicles and cyclists descending Evans Pass Rd at high speed.
Irvine asked the board to consider installing a speed camera at the bottom of the 2km hill to deter speeding.
The stretch of road leading into Sumner recorded four serious crashes and 12 minor crashes last year. Following residents’ concerns, the community board issued a memo to city council staff requesting advice on possible safety improvements.
After Huntsman's crash, Herz Jardine followed up with council staff and was told a traffic engineer was investigating safety improvements at the intersection.
Once a report is completed, Herz Jardine plans to conduct a site visit with residents to identify where improvements could be made.
He also raised residents’ concerns with the New Zealand Transport Agency after the community board meeting.
On Friday, following Stechman guilty plea, Herz Jardine said "fixing the speeding issues at Evans Pass is a wicked problem".
"And we're trying out a bunch of tweaks to fix it," he posted on social media
"In the five years 2021-2025 we've had 12 crashes, five resulting in injuries, and almost all due to loss of vehicle control.
"Over 10% of drivers are speeding 10 km/h over the limit, and it gets worse at night and weekends. Cyclists are also breaking speed limits at much higher rates that drivers, with 15% speeding 15 km/h over the limit.
"We know people need to slow down - the question is - how? The answer isn't speed bumps, as this is a minor arterial road with heavy truck traffic, and it would likely make it more dangerous for cyclists.
"We only have limited influence over police enforcement and speed cameras, so that leaves us with a range of signage changes to reinforce the danger of this section of road.
"We're replacing lost marker posts, adding curve warning signs and chevrons, installing bigger, clearer signs where the speed limit changes to 50 km/h, making the curve warning signs more visible, and I'm also trying to progress red road surfacing at the speed limit change to really emphasize the importance of slowing down.
"None of these changes will be a silver bullet. I'll also be recommending further speed monitoring when all changes have been made to see if we've made a real difference.
"The big picture: Christchurch is making real improvements on the road toll. While the rest of the country is seeing an increase in deaths and serious injuries, Christchurch is getting a consistent year-on-year decline.
"This helps me to trust that our road engineers know what they're doing and that these changes, which from a layman's POV seem quite minor, have a shot at making a difference. Let's see what happens," Herz Jardine said.
-Allied Media with RNZ