A coroner has described the death of a 17-year-old after binge drinking as senseless and a sad illustration of New Zealand's drinking culture.
Mitchell David Heward, a farm hand at Hari Hari on the West Coast, died at Lake Kaniere in February 2016, where he'd gone with a group of friends.
Coroner Anna Tutton found the cause of death was aspiration of vomit in the context of profound, severe alcohol intoxication.
"Mitchell's death was the tragic consequence of excessive alcohol consumption by a young person, in a group in which pressure to drink was applied," Ms Tutton said in her findings released today.
"His death was senseless, and a sad illustration of the prevalent drinking culture, she said.
"It is critical that young drinkers, particularly, appreciate the seriousness of the dangers of binge drinking, and to know what to do if someone becomes unresponsive after drinking."
The coroner said Mitchell went to Lake Kaniere with a group of friends aged between 14 and 18, intending to camp there overnight.
Members of the group took and drank a significant amount of alcohol.
Mitchell drank beer, vodka and Midori. He lost consciousness, could not be revived, and died at the lake.
He was found to have 349mg/100ml of alcohol in his system, which is almost seven times over the legal blood alcohol limit for a New Zealand driver aged over 20.
Two members of the group, one who had turned 18 days before and the other 21, were jointly charged with supplying alcohol to Mitchell who was under 18.
The 21-year-old pleaded guilty and was discharged without conviction, while the other was found not guilty.
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