A marae is in shock after a beloved horse bolted and was killed by a ute on a Wellington street.

The horse was hit at about 6.45am on Wednesday on Adelaide Rd in Berhampore, just south of Duppa St.

The brown female horse, named Te Haa, was led out of her paddock at Tapu Te Ranga marae in Island Bay in the early hours of the morning.

The rider, a man who also lives at the marae, was leading her back towards Island Bay before the horse died, police inspector Dave Rose said.

She died, in the arms of the rider and members of the community, within minutes of being hit.

Police had not yet laid any charges, but the horse could have seriously hurt or killed somebody when it ran from the man, Rose said.

The driver of the red Hilux which hit the horse was shaken but uninjured, though the ute was damaged substantially in the crash, Rose said.

Traffic was diverted while the horse was moved, winched onto the back of a flatbed truck, but has returned to normal.

School children stopping to look at the horse's body were moved along by police officers.

The rider of the horse stayed with the body until it was put on to the truck. He circled the horse, patting it and straightening its tail, and at one point put his head under the hood covering the horse's bloodied head.

When asked questions about the accident he appeared angry and upset.

"This is my baby!" he shouted.

The horse belonged to Mere Takoko who lived at Tapu Te Ranga marae.

She was too upset to speak, but her friend Maraea Rakuraku said everybody was shocked by Te Haa's death. She was a popular horse at the marae, and had lived there about a year, Rakuraku said.

"The horse is such an important part of the community here. Many people have interactions and look after her.

"People are just walking around in shock. It's so sad, it's awful."

The man who let her out on Wednesday morning was allowed to have access to it, but owner Takoko had no knowledge of his actions, Rakuraku said.

The man was also in shock. Nobody had managed to discover what he was doing, she said.

Berhampore resident Shaynie Jones was walking to the bus stop on Adelaide Rd when she saw the horse galloping towards her.

"When I was leaving for work I couldn't believe my eyes because I saw her galloping down the road."

"As soon as I saw her galloping she went and the truck drove straight at her," Jones said.

"It's an unusual thing, you don't usually have horses running down the road, not being in a rural area."

Stuart Campell was at Berhampore BP when the horse galloped past him, nearing a cyclist.

"I just been to the gas station and it ran out at the traffic lights … came bounding through and it nearly took a cyclist out at the lights here," Campell said.

"I thought then I was still dreaming."

He was on his way to work when the horse appeared over the hill, running towards him on the left lane.

In that time the horse had run from him towards Island Bay.

Police were trying to establish what had prompted the man to go for such an early-morning ride in a busy area.

New Zealand Transport Agency rules say people riding or leading animals at night must wear reflective clothing and carry a torch. Horses must be kept to the left of the road, away from traffic.

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