Manslaughter charge over fatal crash

A Central Otago man has been charged with manslaughter over the crash that killed a Royalburn Station butcher Outrega Anderson.

The 28-year-old man was originally charged with Excess Blood Alcohol Causing Death, over the 16 December crash.

Then, last month, police also laid a charge of Drug-impaired Driving Causing Death, relating to MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy.

Both charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment and a fine up to $20k.

Now, police have upgraded the charge to manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of imprisonment for life.

Police allege the man had 131 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in his system, above the legal limit is 50mg, as well as being impaired by ecstasy.

The man is remanded on bail to reappear in the Queenstown District Court on 11 March. He did not apply for name suppression on the initial charges, but has not yet appeared on the manslaughter charge.

Anderson, known as Tré, died on State Highway 6, near the Crown Range turn-off, at around 7.30am on 16 December, 2023.

The 48-year-old, originally from Southland, was head butcher and master charcutier at Royalburn Station, the alpine farm owned by Nadia Lim and Carlos Bagrie, and had previously worked at Queenstown winery restaurant Amisfield for more than 10 years.

The defendant was hospitalised in a serious condition after the two-vehicle fatal crash but was but later discharged.