Kiwi left in limbo after serious head injury in Sydney

The mother of a Kiwi who was injured in Sydney says Australia and New Zealand have both let him down.

Dale Huhu moved to the city to make a change for the better, but the change he got nearly ended his life. He was seriously injured in a crash last month and could have to wait months or even years to return to work.

On his way to the shops he was struck by a car, his head split open by a falling pole.

"All I remember doing is just waking up on the ground covered in blood," he told Newshub.

His mother Dana rushed to Sydney, unsure if he'd survive the blood clot in his brain and a fractured skull.

"I can't explain how I felt - the fear of losing your only child," she told Newshub.

Five weeks on, the wounds are healing, but Mr Huhu's recovery is painful and slow.

He can't smell, can't taste and can't go to work, and doctors don't know how long it will last.

"It's stopped me from nearly everything in my life. I can't do anything any more," he said.

An insurance payout is months away and it leaves Mr Huhu without any income or any hope of financial support.

Work and Income and ACC can't help him because he's in Australia, but he can't get Australian support as a Kiwi.

So Mr Huhu is stuck in Sydney, without financial assistance, because his head injury leaves him unsafe to fly.

"I don't know who I'm more angry at - the Australian government or the New Zealand Government," Ms Huhu said.

There's only one reason he is getting by: the kindness of a woman he barely knows. His landlord Sandra Mannell makes his meals and drives him to the doctor.

He'll live rent free till he's back on his feet.

"I'd like to think if it was one of my kids or my grandchildren, that somebody would do the same thing for them," she told Newshub.

For this Kiwi in Australia, it's a heartwarming act to lend a helping hand when no one else will.

Ms Huhu has set up a Givealittle page to help her son cover his costs in Sydney. So far, it's raised just over $1000.

Newshub.