Steven Cranston’s behaviour leading up to his death was completely out-of-character, according to a friend who says he was health conscious, future-focused and protective of his dog.
Cranston, 43, died on Wednesday night when he was hit by a car while walking his Rhodesian Ridgeback Hans on Nau Mai Rd near Raglan.
A resident told RNZ that Cranston had been walking his dog in the middle of State Highway 23 and other roads around the costal Waikato town, and that she made multiple 111 calls asking for help.
Now the friend — who did not want to be named — said she could not comprehend what led Cranston to walk around Raglan for hours holding up traffic and putting himself, his dog and others in danger.
“He wasn’t the kind of guy who took drugs or was a big drinker, and he was a very careful dog owner.”
She said it was normal for Cranston, a farm manager based on the outskirts of Hamilton at Eureka, to walk his dog at the beach but not on the road.
The woman said Cranston was “into meditation”, on a Keto diet and did not drink beer or wine because it upset his stomach.
He had been to Bali in a retreat and used yoga to help relieve anxiety, which she said he had not suffered from in years.
She described Cranston — a member of Groundswell and a one-time candidate for DemocracyNZ in Waikato — as quiet and shy.
“He was not a selfish or arrogant guy, so the whole notion of him causing a car accident is very unlike him.”
Cranston grew up on a dairy farm in Northland and went to Kamo High School and Lincoln University.
He moved to Hamilton and worked as a farm management consultant at AgFirst Waikato before leaving in 2016 to set up his own business, Steven Cranston Consulting.
The friend said he had been busy with calving on the Eureka farm recently, but Cranston had talked about getting back into consulting and writing more articles about issues affecting farmers, which he enjoyed doing.
She could not reconcile that person with the man witnesses described looking as if “nobody was home” on the night he died.
“Was something wrong or was he looking for help?”
Police launched an investigation into the fatality but were criticised for not responding sooner to 111 calls. One resident said she had made a complaint to the Independent Police Conduct Authority.
Police said they were called from about 5pm, but after receiving a report that the pedestrian had moved off the road to safety and a response was not prioritised.
Cranston was hit and killed about 7pm, although his dog survived.
Younger brother Bradley Cranston told RNZ he also could not understand what had happened.
He described his brother as a champion for farmers who was dedicated to advocating for farmers’ rights.
Cranston is survived by his parents Fraser Cranston and Rohan Porter, and two brothers, Richard and Bradley.
A celebration of Cranston’s life will take place at Chapel of Morris and Morris Funerals in Whangārei on Wednesday.
rnz.co.nz
