The first day of the jury trial for the passenger of a vehicle, which killed an Invercargill mother and injured her family, began this morning in the Invercargill High Court. 

Taine Reupena Tata Bryn Edwards is facing one charge of being a party to manslaughter by inciting and encouraging reckless driving and several other charges of inciting and encouraging reckless driving causing injury. 

On December 7, 2018, Edwards was a passenger of a dark green Subaru WRX which T-boned another car on the corner of Newcastle and Clifton Streets in the suburb of Windsor in Invercargill. 

The driver of the vehicle, Dejay Rawiri Kane plead guilty last year to manslaughter and reckless driving causing injury and was sentenced to over four years in prison.

The Subaru was travelling at 121 kilometres per hour in a 50 km speed zone. It failed to stop and a give way sign and crashed into a silver Kia, which had the family of four in it. 

Emma Joyce Bagley was driving the Kia vehicle and was killed. 

Her husband received moderate injuries and was placed in an induced coma in Christchurch hospital. 

Her two children also received mild to moderate injuries. 

The defendant has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Defence counsel are Fiona Guy Kidd and Richard Smith and the Crown prosecutors are Mary Jane Thomas and William Chapman. 

Justice Cameron Mander said today the trial was expected to run until the end of the next week.