Teenwho died after alcohol games wasn’t heavy drinker

A West Coast 17-year-old who died after drinking beer and spirits through a funnel was not usually a heavy drinker.

Police have called the death of Hokitika twin Mitchell Heward ‘‘binge drinking at its worst’’.

Heward was drinking heavily at a party at Lake Kaniere on Saturday and other partygoers failed to realise he was in trouble.

Detective Senior Sergeant Kevin Tiernan said his behaviour was out of character.

‘‘Information we’ve received is that he wasn’t usually a drinker. He would have one beer from time to time but never more than that. On this occasion it seems he has consumed an excessive amount.’’

Police are investigating who supplied the alcohol, which was bought legitimately, to the teens.

The group was at the lake playing drinking games, Tiernan said. ‘‘They were pouring alcohol into a funnel and down a tube. It’s binge drinking at its worst. This young guy has paid a terrible price for it.

‘‘People he was associating with didn’t have the experience, or weren’t motivated to look after him, or didn’t recognise the signs that he was getting into difficulty due to their own drinking.

‘‘It was a lot of young people not drinking socially, but drinking stupidly and on this occasion it ended with tragic consequences.’’

Another 17-year-old girl was treated for ‘‘extreme intoxication’’ but has since been released from hospital and interviewed by police.

Tiernan said investigators at first believed the death was suspicious, but were now treating it as sudden death inquiry.

The Heward family put up a short request on an a public R.I.P page. ‘‘For those who [in]tend on attending Mitchells funeral and if you attend(ed) scouts, boys brigade, South Westland area school or Westland high could you please wear the uniform many thanks Mitchells family.’’

West Coasters have posted tributes to Heward who died ‘‘too young’’ and messages of sympathy to his family on the Facebook page.

‘‘It seems so unfair that you have been taken so suddenly and tragically,’’ Teena Vincent, who taught Mitchell and his siblings at Kaniere School, posted. ‘‘I’m not sure I will ever understand how something so avoidable could have taken you way before you were ready to go.

‘‘I truly hope that your passing is not in vain and your legacy to others in our community is that ‘life is precious’.’’

Terry Sheridan, who Mitchell milked cows for, said he was ‘‘a real good kid’’ who worked hard.

Police said Mitchell was part of a group of about nine at the lake on Saturday. Some were drinking despite not being old enough to buy alcohol.

Several people tried to help the teenagers before emergency services arrived, including people at the lake and an off-duty doctor.

It is illegal to supply alcohol to someone under 18 unless:

The person supplying alcohol is the parent or legal guardian and it is supplied responsibly.

The person supplying alcohol has the consent of the young person’s parent or legal guardian. Failure to do so could result in a $2000 fine.

There is no age at which it is illegal to drink alcohol in New Zealand.