The bodies of four Aongatete coolstore workers killed in a car crash this month will be returned to Tonga today after a moving memorial service in Katikati.
Sitiveni Vaipulu (44), his son Koli Vaipulu (21), Sione Teulaka (21), and Teulaka's 28-year-old brother-in-law Samuela Taukatelata, had just left work when their car collided with a southbound logging truck near the Bay of Plenty town on August 2.
Also killed in the crash was their 28-year-old colleague Halani Fine, whose funeral was held in Auckland yesterday.
Their coolstore manager and colleague, Clive Exelby, said the bodies of the four men would be flown back to Tonga this morning.
Mr Exelby said Prime Minister Akilisi Pohiva would meet the plane when it arrived in the Pacific island nation.
A group of about 20 people from Tauranga, including eight coolstore staff, their friends, two family members who also work at the coolstore and two representatives from RSE, would also be on the flight, he said.
Mr Exelby said an open-caskets memorial service was held at the Memorial Hall in Katikati on Tuesday night, attended by about 350 to 400 mourners.
He said it was "very moving" service. "People were able to go up and pay their respects, lay flowers in the caskets, and say prayers to farewell these fine men."
Coolstore staff performed a "rousing haka" after the service.
A funeral service was held in Auckland yesterday for Halani Fine, who was based in New Zealand.
He had been working at the coolstore to help him finish his studies at Bethlehem Tertiary Institute to become a counsellor.
Aongatete coolstore's managing director Allan Dawson said three funds had been launched to help support the deceased's families - one by the company, one by NZ Kiwifruit Growers Inc supported by Horticulture New Zealand, and the Five Fine Young Men Givealittle page launched by the Tongan Church, which last night had raised $1645.
"Our main focus is to try to fulfil some of the pledges these men had made to their families. That includes helping with their children's educational costs," he said.
Mr Dawson said the company hoped to work with the other groups to amalgamate the three support funds into a single charitable trust fund, and appoint two independent trustees to help manage it.
Donations
Anyone wanting to make a donation can deposit funds into Westpac account "Tongan Boys"at 03-1550-0017661-02 or into the NZ Kiwifruit Growers' Community Support Fund account number 06-0379-0245466-00.
- NZ Herald
