A rāhui has been placed over Oamaru Harbour following the death of a “valued” member of the town’s Tongan community whose car went off Holmes Wharf.

Representatives of Te Rūnanga o Moeraki gathered with whānau and friends of the 69-year-old man on Wednesday morning to place the rāhui following a blessing.

Emergency services, including dive teams, police, fire and ambulance crews, were sent to the wharf following reports a vehicle had gone into the water about 5.30pm on Tuesday.

The man from Oamaru was pulled from the water and CPR performed, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A guard was put in place overnight following the incident and the Serious Crash Unit and other specialist teams conducted a scene examination on Wednesday.

The rāhui, which prohibits fishing and gathering shellfish, remains in place until midnight on Friday and also covers Makotukutuku (Cape Wanbrow) and the town’s coastline.

Te Rūnanga o Moeraki extended its “heartfelt condolences” to the family and friends of the “valued” member of Oamaru’s Tongan community.

Police are separately appealing for witnesses after the fatal crash.

“Inquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing and police would like to speak with anyone who witnessed the crash,” the spokesperson said.

Information could be provided through 105, either online or over the phone, referencing file number 260825/4540.

“Our thoughts are with the man’s family during this difficult time,” the police spokesperson added.