Aaron James Collinson (21) of Invercargill was driving eight of his friends back from a road trip to Queenstown in February when the vehicle veered off the road just outside of Winton and crashed into a nearby paddock, injuring all of the passengers and killing one. 

Rear seat passenger Thalia Jayden Newport (20) died at the scene after the van rolled several times.

All the other passengers received moderate to severe injuries as a result of the crash.

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The van did not have seat belts available for the rear seat passengers. 

Collinson pleaded guilty to seven charges of careless or inconsiderate driving causing injury and one charge of careless or inconsiderate driving causing death in the Invercargill District Court today. 

He is next due to appear in court on November 12 for sentencing. 

Community Magistrate Simon Heale said he was issuing a later sentencing date so that enough time was given to allow Collinson to participate in restorative justice with the victims. 

According to the police summary of facts, the crash occurred around 4.30pm on February 16 2020, just south of Winton on SH6.

The group were travelling in a 2006 Toyota Hiace van, which had had two illegal bench seats fixed into the back and did not have any seat belts available for the rear passengers. 

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Around 4.30pm Collinson drove past the Winton boundary heading towards Invercargill and passed a 'slippery when wet' warning sign. 

The road conditions were damp that afternoon as Collinson approached a temporary 50 km/h speed sign from a 100 km/h zone, just outside of Winton.

As Collinson was taking a left bend in the road, the vehicle drifted too far to the left, crossed the fog line and drove into the water table ditch on the side of the road, before crashing into a 50 km/h speed sign. 

The van hit the sign with such force that it rolled about six times over a distance of almost 50 metres before coming to a stop upright in a paddock. 

As the van barrel-rolled, the rear passenger sliding door flung off and hit a nearby power line. 

All of the rear passengers who did not have seat belts on were flung from the vehicle at different points as it tumbled across the field.

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Collinson and the other front seat passenger were wearing seat belts, so they were still in their seats when the van finally came to a stop. 

It's estimated that the Toyota van was travelling between 96 and 106 kilometres an hour at the time of the crash. 

When spoken to by police after the crash, the defendant admitted to being the driver of the vehicle and explained that the crash happened after the back of the van went into the opposite lane at which point he tried to avoid the pole in front of him before the van crashed. 

Collinson was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash.