A 6-year-old boy killed in a fatal crash in Northland on New Year's Day was "loved and adored by so many", his family says.
Police on Sunday named Myka Tuala, of Wellington, as the victim of a two-car collision on State Highway 1 at Hikurangi on Friday.
Writing on Facebook, his father Jay Tuala, who gave permission to Newshub to use the post, said hearing the news of his son's death was something "no parent should ever have to receive".
"Our dear son had been involved in a head-on collision in Whangarei earlier that afternoon and had passed away," Tuala said. "We are currently in the process of bringing our son home to be with us while we make the necessary final arrangements for our boy.
"As grieving parents to Myka who was loved and adored by so many, we kindly ask that respect and privacy is given at this time and to call/message ahead before visiting."
On a Givealittle page created to help the family, friend Gala Harper-van Ommen wrote that Myka was just a month short of his 7th birthday.
"Myka's personality was a true reflection of the loving family environment he has grown up in. He was a happy, kind, and gentle boy who was undoubtedly adored by all that knew him," says the Givealittle page, which had raised nearly $17,000 as of Monday afternoon.
An investigation into the crash is ongoing, police said.
