A 27-year-old mother in New Zealand has died after crashing a stolen car while fleeing police in Auckland, with a charity that had been supporting her now revealing details of her difficult past. Monique Marie Jennifer Lay was identified by police as the woman killed in a head-on collision in Manurewa last Thursday night, after allegedly stealing a car following a drinking session with friends. Her death has prompted tributes from family and friends, while also raising questions about the support available to vulnerable people leaving state care.

Police said they were called to an aggravated robbery on Greenmeadows Avenue shortly after 9.30pm, after which Lay allegedly attacked a woman with a crowbar and stole her hatchback. Officers spotted the car being driven without headlights and signalled it to stop, but it fled before colliding head-on with a ute, killing Lay, the sole occupant. The Maranga Fanau Charitable Trust said she had been raised in state care, had served time in prison, and was working to regain custody of her two children, the youngest just 18 months old, at the time of her death. A critical incident investigation is ongoing.