Colleagues of the three young people killed in a head-on crash yesterday near Dannevirke are "doing it tough" according to their employer Silver Fern Farms.
Police are yet to release the names of the trio who were heading to work at the company's Takapau meatworks when they collided with a truck.
Dannevirke High School has confirmed to Newshub one was a current pupil of the school and two were past pupils.
Principal and board secretary Kay Hewitt says: "it is a tragic loss of both current and past students and it is being deeply felt throughout the school community."
Support is being offered to students, teachers and whanau.
The trio's boss at Silver Fern Farms Justin Courtney says: "being essential services this is a tight-knit group of workers - and something like this is tough on everyone, especially at this time of year."
Police say the truck driver was hospitalised following the Takapau crash, which happened about 15 minutes from Silver Fern Farms, where the teens were heading to start their shift.
