Police are urging Kiwis to focus on safety when driving this summer.
It comes after five people died on New Zealand's roads since the Christmas and New Year holiday period began on Friday.
Assistant Commissioner Bruce O’Brien said speed, poor decision making and distractions are likely causes of the accidents over Christmas weekend.
“This has been an incredibly tragic start to the holiday period on our roads and a number of families will never be the same,” he said.
Police say they expect the roads to be busy with people heading off to holiday destinations after Christmas Day.
“Plan ahead, watch your speed and following distances, pay attention to the conditions, stop and take a break if you’re feeling tired, and allow plenty of time to get where you are going- especially if you are travelling on roads you don’t know,” O’Brien said.
There were two unrelated fatal crashes on Christmas Day, one on Christmas Eve and one on Boxing Day.
A pedestrian was also killed after they were hit by a car in Auckland on Christmas night.
This brings the road toll for the official holiday period to five as of Sunday afternoon.
The official Christmas and New Year’s holiday period ends at 6am on January 5, 2022.
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