Waverley crash: Ani Nohinohi sole survivor of crash that claimed seven lives

Ani Nohinohi is in Wellington Hospital fighting for her life, unaware both her daughters and her partner are dead.

Nohinohi, the sole survivor, was the front seat passenger in a car which collided head-on with another vehicle containing four elderly people at State Highway 3 north of Waverley yesterday. It was the worst crash on New Zealand roads in 13 years.

Nohinohi's daughter, Nivek Madams, 8, died this morning. She had celebrated her eighth birthday on Tuesday, a day before the crash that killed her eight-week-old sister Shady Thompson and her mother's partner Jeremy Thompson, 28.

Nivek was given a blessing by a Waikato Hospital pastor last night at the request of her father, Kevin, who is in prison for the murder of a gang president.

A family member said a phone was put to Nivek's ear in her hospital bed so her father and other relatives could speak to her.

The eight-year-old was now with her baby sister Shady in heaven and the family was grieving the loss of their two "precious princesses".

Nohinohi continued her fight for life in Wellington Hospital's intensive care unit today as jockeys at Waverley Race Club wore black arm bands as a mark of respect to the four elderly people who were killed instantly in the other vehicle.

They were Ian Porteous, 80, and his wife Rosalie Porteous, 76, as well as Ian's sister Ora Keene, 84, and close friend Brenda Williams, 79.

They were all associated with the Waverley bowling club and Denis Smith knew them well.

"We'll miss them terribly," he said.

"It's a big hole in our club and words will never cover what we feel but we're all in shock at this stage. We'll all miss them terribly," he said.

"The club's only a very small club and that's a big hole in it."

Meanwhile, Nivek succumbed to her injuries in Waikato Hospital this morning, surrounded by friends and extended family.

A Givealittle page has since been set up to help the family with the expense of funerals.

It says Nivek and Shady were "close sisters and part of a caring whānau, deeply loved by their friends & family. Their tragic passing has been devastating for everyone and we are grateful for the outpouring of support from the community.

"As the new cluster of Matariki stars for those who have left us were announced these little lives sadly slid away."

Meanwhile close friends shared how Nivek's father Kevin Madams was phoned in jail and allowed to share a few words with her before she died.

Madams is serving a nine year, 10 month jail term after being found guilty of the murder of Whanganui Black Power president Craig Rippon in Whanganui in 2016.

His co-accused Tyrone Peter Madams was also jailed, along with found guilty of manslaughter at the High Court at Whanganui.

Nohinohi was called to give evidence against her former partner.

She testified how she visited a Bamber St property that day when one of the youths asked her to take Tyrone Madams' daughter with her "because they were off to war".

When the group came back some time later, two were bleeding from cuts on their hands.

According to Nohinohi, one of the youths could be heard saying "we got him, we got him".