Indian taxi driver Hiren Mohini crashed into a wall and a tree at Mt Eden when he lost control of the vehicle after the passenger he was ferrying appears to have stabbed him in the neck and chest in the early hours of Sunday.
A post mortem report has revealed that he died of stab wounds to his chest.
Meanwhile the police are trawling security camera footage from several points in the city looking for a slim, dark-skinned man in his mid to late twenties, about 1.74m tall. He is believed to have swept back, greasy wavy or curly hair.
Eyewitnesses have described the man who fled from the scene of the accident as wearing dark jeans, black shoes, a long-sleeved shirt and carrying a black bag with a strap, news reports said.
Several residents of View Road rushed out to help Mr Mohini after they heard the commotion, shouting and the screech of brakes and the loud bang after the taxi hit the tree.
While many of them tried to help the victim with whatever first aid they could muster, they and the paramedics who arrived after 5-6 minutes were unable to revive him.
"I know he was still alive when they removed him from the car into the ambulance, but he died quickly. He was dead before the ambulance could even leave," View Road resident James McDaid told The Dominion Post newspaper.
Last night National Party MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi who visited the driver's family told Indian Weekender he had apprised his parliamentary colleagues and ministers about the developments and that Transport Minister Steven Joyce would soon call a meeting with all concerned to address the security problems faced by taxi drivers.
NZ Taxi Federation executive director Tim Reddish was quoted in the Otago Daily Times saying it was up to the Government to ensure security cameras were installed in all cabs.
Mr Mohini's colleagues assembled at his residence in Mt Roskill said that a barrier between the driver and passenger seats as was existent in taxis in some cities around the world was what was needed in Auckland to ensure such incidents were not repeated.
Though such a proposal was mooted before, the government had not considered it necessary but it was time the issue was brought up for discussion again, they said.