The 1963 Brynderwyn bus accident occurred on the day after

Waitangi Day Waitangi Day ( mi, Te Rā o Waitangi), the national day of New Zealand, marks the anniversary of the initial signing – on 6 February 1840 – of the Treaty of Waitangi, which is regarded as the founding document of the nation. The first Wait ...

, 7 February 1963, when a bus rolled down a slope in the

Brynderwyn Range The Brynderwyn Range or Brynderwyn Hills is a ridge extending east–west across the Northland Peninsula in northern New Zealand some 60 kilometres south of Whangārei, from the southern end of Bream Bay in the east to the Otamatea River (an arm ...

, killing 15 people. To date, it is the deadliest road accident in New Zealand history.

Background

The 1963

celebrations in Waitangi, Northland, were attended by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

and the

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, was a substantive title that has been created three times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not produc ...

. A bus was chartered by the Māori Affairs Department to carry 35 passengers to and from the celebrations. All of the passengers were

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

from the wider

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

area, many from the

Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara is a Māori iwi and hapū of New Zealand, which is part of Ngāti Whātua. See also *List of Māori iwi This is a list of iwi (New Zealand Māori tribes). List of iwi This list includes groups recognised as iwi (tribe ...

iwi. Some were part of a

kapa haka Kapa haka is the term for Māori action songs and the groups who perform them. It literally means 'group' () and 'dance' (). Kapa haka is an important avenue for Māori people to express and showcase their heritage and cultural Polynesian identi ...

delegation that performed for the Queen at Waitangi. The bus, owned by Waikato Services Ltd., was driven by 46-year-old Harold Parker.

Accident

The bus departed

Paihia Paihia is the main tourist town in the Bay of Islands in the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is 60 kilometres north of Whangārei, located close to the historic towns of Russell and Kerikeri. Missionary Henry William ...

on the morning of 7 February. The accident occurred after 1:00 pm, when the bus was traversing the Brynderwyn Ranges section of

State Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbere ...

, between the towns of Waipu and

Kaiwaka Kaiwaka "the little town of lights" is a settlement in Northland, New Zealand. The Kaiwaka River runs from the east through the area and joins with the Wairau River to form the Otamatea River, which drains into the Kaipara Harbour. State Hig ...

. The bus had just finished a break at the summit of Pilbrow Hill. As the bus started to descend down the southern face of the hill, the service brakes on the bus failed. Following this, Parker attempted to steer the bus through the remainder of the downhill section. The bus left the road on the final bend of the hill, plummeting some 30 m down the valley of the Piroa Stream.

Aftermath and legacy

The Snelling family, who owned a farm nearby and had heard the accident, were the first to reach the wreckage. Additionally, a party of 5 members from the Auckland District Māori Council, who had also been travelling on the road, assisted with the initial response. 14 people were initially killed by the accident. Another person later died from their injuries, resulting in a death toll of 15. The remaining 21 injured were taken to Whangarei Hospital by 3:30 pm. Following the accident, the Queen sent a message of condolence to Prime Minister

Keith Holyoake Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake, (; 11 February 1904 – 8 December 1983) was the 26th prime minister of New Zealand, serving for a brief period in 1957 and then from 1960 to 1972, and also the 13th governor-general of New Zealand, serving from 1977 ...

, asking him to "convey rince Philip and I'ssympathy to the injured and the next-of-kin of those who lost their lives in the bus." A commission of inquiry was held by the Department of Transport in April 1963, which concluded that the accident was caused by brake failure. Regulations for passenger service vehicle construction were subsequently changed sixteen months later. The communities of

Onehunga Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand and the location of the Port of Onehunga, the city's small port on the Manukau Harbour. It is south of the Auckland CBD, city centre, close to the volcano, volcanic cone of Maungakiekie / One Tree ...

and

Māngere Māngere () or Mangere is one of the largest suburbs in Auckland, in northern New Zealand. It is located on mainly flat land on the northeastern shore of the Manukau Harbour, to the northwest of Manukau City Centre and 15 kilometres south of ...

were strongly impacted by the accident, as many of the passengers were members of the community.

Tangihanga ''Tangihanga'', or more commonly, ''tangi'', is a traditional Māori funeral rite held on a marae. While still widely practised, it is not universally observed in modern times. Each iwi (tribe/nation) differs on how they honour those who pass. ''T ...

were held at Onehunga, which were attended by Prime Minister

and opposition leader

Walter Nash Sir Walter Nash (12 February 1882 – 4 June 1968) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 27th prime minister of New Zealand in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960. He is noted for his long period of political service, havin ...

. Seeing the difficulty that the communities had in arranging the tangi, Holyoake and Nash agreed to co-fund a marae in the area. This led to the construction of

Te Puea Memorial Marae Te Puea Memorial Marae is a marae located in Māngere Bridge, Auckland, New Zealand. Opened in 1965, it was the first urban marae in Auckland, built for ''ngā hau e whā'' (all Māori), but in particular as a community centre for local Urban M ...

in Māngere Bridge,

, which was opened in 1965. A memorial stone was unveiled at the scene location on 7 February 2003, on the 40th anniversary of the accident.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brynderwyn 1963 road incidents February 1963 events in New Zealand 1963 in New Zealand 1963 disasters in New Zealand