“He didn’t want to go back”: Indian migrants killed in NZ crash leave families behind

A late-night crash on a remote stretch of State Highway 1 near Waiouru in New Zealand’s central North Island has claimed the lives of three Indian migrant workers, leaving a grieving community and a young family shattered.

The Indian Weekender reported last week that the three Indian men died after their car collided with a tanker truck on April 27, as they were travelling from Wellington to Tauranga. Police said they were alerted to the crash at about 11.50 pm.

The deceased have been identified as Manjinder Singh, 39, Sandeep Singh, 36, and Varinderpal Singh, 35. Manjinder’s first cousin confirmed the identities to The Indian Weekender. Manjinder Singh was from SBS Nagar in Nawanshahr, while Sandeep Singh and Varinderpal Singh hailed from Uttarakhand.

According to a report by Nadine Roberts from Stuff, who spoke to Manjinder Singh’s family, mentions that he had moved to New Zealand three years ago in search of better opportunities. He died alongside his two friends (Sandeep Singh and  Varinderpal Singh) when their car crossed the centre line and collided with an oncoming tanker truck.

Manjinder Singh, described by family as a devoted father and primary provider, had left home earlier that day asking his wife to rest before her night shift. Hours later, the fatal crash occurred on the Desert Road, a high-altitude stretch of highway known for its harsh conditions.

Sandeep Singh/ Supplied

“He was just finally getting somewhere,” his niece Sharanjit Singh told Stuff. “They’d worked so hard to build a life here.”

The family, originally from Punjab, had settled in Tauranga, where Singh and his wife worked long, alternating shifts in the kiwifruit sector while raising their two daughters and supporting relatives back home, Stuff reported.

“They were very family-oriented,” Stuff quoted Sharanjit as saying. “Everything they did was for their kids and for their family back home.”

The report said Singh had been exploring options to extend his visa and remain in New Zealand. “He used to say this was his only opportunity,” she said. “He didn’t want to go back. He wanted to make this work.”

On the day of the accident, Singh had planned a trip to Wellington to visit a friend who had recently welcomed a baby. Despite being advised against making the long return journey in a single day, he proceeded with the trip along with his two companions.

Police have said the vehicle crossed the centre line before colliding with an oncoming tanker truck. The cause of the crash remains unclear.

The following day, Sharanjit visited the crash site, describing the stretch of road as unexpectedly forgiving.

“It was all still there,” she said. “You could see it — what had happened," Stuff quoted her as saying.

“There were two lanes on his side. It’s not narrow. It’s not dangerous like some roads.”

“We just don’t understand how he’s gone over,” she told Stuff.

Speculating on possible causes, she added: “Either he fell asleep, or the car slipped. There’s just no clear reason… He wasn’t one to use a phone while driving…”

The sudden deaths have reverberated through the Indian community in Tauranga, with many rallying around the bereaved families. Singh’s wife, now left to raise their children alone, has seen an outpouring of support from friends and co-workers.

Her world, Sharanjit said, “changed in 12 hours”.

Recounting the impact on the children, she told Stuff that Singh’s younger daughter, aged three, struggled to grasp the loss. “She said to a friend, ‘my Dad’s car’s broken so they’re gone, and Dad’s going to come back in a new car," Stuff quoted Sharanjit as saying.

In contrast, the elder child, aged five, had already shown an awareness of the family’s financial situation. “They come from a very grounded family,” Sharanjit told Stuff.

Friends remember Singh as someone who quietly extended help to others, whether by supporting relatives in India or assisting fellow migrants trying to settle in a new country.

“He was always helping someone,” she said. “Even when he didn’t have much himself.”

Community members have since begun raising funds to support the family, though relatives acknowledge the emotional void left behind cannot be filled.

“No one can fill that emotional gap,” Sharanjit told Stuff. “But if we can take even one stress away financially, that helps.”

For the family, the loss marks not just a personal tragedy but the collapse of a future they had worked towards.

“They left everything behind for a future here,” she said, “and now that future is gone," Stuff has quoted.