A GiveALittle Campaign for the whānau of rugby star Sean Wainui has raised more than $200,000 so far.
Wainui (Ngāi Tuhoe, Ngā Ariki Kaipūtahi, Ngāti Porou) died in a car accident in Omanawa, outside of Tauranga on Monday morning.
The GiveALittle campaign was established by the Chiefs rugby team for whom Wainui played 44 games.
"Once a Chief, always a Chief," the campaign reads.
The 25-year-old played 53 games for Taranaki, nine for the Crusaders and represented New Zealand Māori since 2015. He shifted to the Bay of Plenty this year.
In June Wainui scored five tries in a Super Rugby Trans-Tasman victory over the Waratahs, the first player to ever do so in Super Rugby history.
The Givealittle will go to Wainui’s wife Paige (the pair were married last year) and children Kawariki and Arahia.
Yesterday Paige published a rousing Haka for Wainui’s Tangihanga on social media.
‘This pain is unbearable 💔 Kei te hoki koe ki tō whenua taurikura my baby māku koe e arahi.’ She wrote.
Tributes have flown in for Wainui, the All Blacks saying in a post on Facebook “Kua hinga he totara haemata i roto i te wao nui o whutupōro Aotearoa.”
“One of Rugby Aotearoa’s tallest totara trees has fallen”.
Sean Wainui will be laid to rest in Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa.