Family and friends of a 4-year-old girl killed in an accident on a scrum machine gathered on Friday evening for a karakia in her memory.

An emotional karakia has been delivered at a south Auckland rugby club where a young girl died in a "tragic accident" involving a scrum machine.

The four-year-old, who was named Karlissa, died at Manurewa Rugby Football Club, at Mountfort Park, on Thursday evening. The girl's family were at the park for a touch module when the incident happened.

Local kaumatua and kuia led a karakia at the scene on Friday evening, with about 100 people in attendance.

David White/Stuff Mourners were told: "We have lost an angel."

Many were visibly emotional and supporting one another as the kaumatua cleansed the land where the young girl was crushed.

READ MORE: Girl, 4, dies in rugby scrum machine incident in south Auckland

Manurewa Rugby Club chairman Kere Maihi addressed the family after the blessing and said he was unable to express the sorrow he felt.

David White/Stuff About 100 people attended the karakia.

"I speak on behalf of the rugby club, we consider ourselves to be a family, we love our home, we love our land and last night was a horror for everybody," he said.

It is understood the young girl was playing on the scrum machine with a number of other children, including her sister. The machine was propped up on its side and fell on the girl.

Church friends of the young girl's family have set up a Givealittle page to "aid their family in any way possible during this unbearable time".

CHARLOTTE CARTER / STUFF The 4-year-old girl died following an incident involving a scrum machine at Manurewa Rugby Club in south Auckland.

Counties Manukau Touch president Teena Rhind tearfully addressed the young girl's family on the sports field. "We lost an angel last night, a baby was lost on my watch," Rhind said.

She said she hoped what happened "never happened to anybody ever again".

The dead girl's great grandmother said the child loved playing and dressing up - "she was daddy's little girl," she said.

Manurewa Labour MP Louisa Wall attended the karakia alongside Manurewa Papakura Ward councillor Daniel Newman.

Wall said she was in Wellington when she heard the news. "It's tragic, everybody's in shock," Wall said.

"For the people to have seen that last night and involved in trying to save her I think it's incredibly traumatic."

SIMON MAUDE/STUFF Manurewa-Papakura councillor Daniel Newman says the community is reeling after the death of the girl.

Wall addressed the grieving whanau and told them that nobody was "going to hide anything" during the inquiry process.

"We're all going to make sure this never happens again," she said.

The machine which fell on the young girl was 20 years old, she said, which highlighted a need to check equipment. "I don't think people fully appreciated the state of that machine and somehow it became compromised and ended up falling on a four-year-old girl and she's passed away."

The incident may prompt a review of equipment safety checks, she said. "Some sort of assessment and policies may have to be developed to make sure somebody is doing that check before a whole lot of families and communities come together to play a sport they love," Wall said.

Newman earlier said the girl's death had "shocked and appalled" the community, which had come together at Mountfort Park last weekend to celebrate Manurewa Christmas in the Park.

"This is the antithesis of that."

He said the girl's family had been through a terrible trauma. It was always awful when someone lost their life so young, but the fact the "tragic accident" had happened so close to Christmas was particularly horrific, he said.

Newman said he was not able to comment on specific details of the incident.

Earlier, he said children had been playing with the scrum machine before the incident but the chain of events was still "unknown".

"While the specific details are not yet known, every effort will be made to assist the police to establish what caused this accident," Newman said.

"As the Auckland councillor for this community and as someone who has spent years supporting the roll-out of sport and recreation at Mountfort Park, the incident is a devastating gut-punch.

"The immediate need now is to establish the facts and support a grieving family."

A witness on Thursday night described hearing kids screaming and told Stuff she "saw everyone running to the scrum machine".

"I made my way to her, there was enough helpers around doing CPR and on the phone - I was just calming the dad," the woman said."Her brother and sisters are more affected, I felt so sorry for them," she said.

Worksafe is yet to be notified about the incident.

The girl's death would be referred to the Coroner.