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• Mandy Rita Simpson died at the scene after two-vehicle crash on State Highway 10 in Waipapa, Far North.
• The 35-year-old is survived by her husband Mike Mackenzie and their three young sons.
• Simpson worked as a nurse at .

A young mum and nurse has been named as the woman killed in a  crash three days after Christmas.

Mandy Rita Simpson died at the scene of the two-vehicle crash on State Highway 10 between Pungaere and Kapiro roads at Waipapa, near Kerikeri, just after 4pm on December 28, police said.

She was among 13 people  over the Christmas-New Year holiday road toll period.

The 35-year-old is survived by “her husband and soulmate Mike [Mackenzie] and their three beautiful boys”, who are aged 2, 7 and 12, friend Brooke Stoney wrote on a Givealittle page set up to support the Waipapa family.

Simpson, who worked as a nurse at Bay of Islands Hospital, was also being mourned by “many absolutely heartbroken extended family and friends”, Stoney wrote.

“Mandy leaves a hole in all our lives that can never be filled.

“Not only have we lost an incredible mum, wife, daughter, sister and friend — but we have also lost an amazing nurse who has touched the lives of so many people in the Far North.”

Mandy Simpson was a nurse at Bay of Islands Hospital before her death in a Waipapa car crash on December 28 last year.

Simpson’s family couldn’t immediately be contacted, but others have posted tributes on Facebook and the Givealittle page.

A colleague wrote that Simpson always had “perfect hair and looked fresh as a daisy”, no matter “how crappy our shift was … [and] while the rest of us looked haggard”.

“You made awesome cakes … absolutely loved the renovations you and Mike did together … [and] you loved our social gatherings”, the woman wrote on Facebook.

As of Tuesday afternoon, more than $11,000 had been donated by 117 donors to the Givealittle page set up by Stoney, some by those who knew Simpson well.

“Crossed [paths] briefly with you on a professional level Mandy and thought you were amazing. Such a tragic and sad loss”, wrote one woman.

Five others were injured in the crash, with one flown to hospital with serious injuries and four others treated for minor injuries, police said.

Enquiries into what caused the tragedy are continuing.

*Givealittle page supporting the Mackenzie family: 

Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.