Seven people have been killed so far on New Zealand’s roads this long weekend – including three in a crash near Waiouru this morning.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell said the deaths are an “absolutely tragedy”, as the series of crashes this King’s Birthday weekend are the worst in 10 years.
The first crash occurred on Friday night, when a person died at the scene of a two-car crash in Allanton near Dunedin just before 5.40pm.
Less than an hour later, one person died in a central Taupō crash which left two others critically injured.
Seven killed on roads in worst King's Birthday weekend toll in 10 years - Watch on TVNZ+
In the early hours of this morning, a person was killed on Auckland’s Waiheke Island.
An hour and a half later, three people died in a two-vehicle crash on State Highway 1 at Waiouru.
Of the road deaths, Mitchell said: “We’ve got the families of those that have been lost that whose whole world had changed, will never be the same again.”
Police road policing director Superintendent Steve Greally said the crash in Waiouru was “absolutely horrendous”.
“It was a head-on crash about seven kilometres north of Waiouru, earlier hours of this morning. Two people have been flown to hospital and are in serious condition.”
It was the second fatal crash on Desert Road in a month.
“We’re always gutted when we lose people on the roads,” Mitchell added.
“I don’t know, obviously, the circumstances behind the accidents that have happened over the weekend, but it’s a good reminder stay off your phones, keep to the speed limit, especially at the moment with the weather over the long weekend.”
The road toll for this year is now at 47 this year, slightly higher than last year.
Greally said in the last four years, there had been a “significant reduction” in the number of people losing their lives on the roads.
“So we’ve gone from 372 people in 202 to last year 272. So that’s 100 less. That’s a great start, but we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
The road toll period for the long weekend finishes at 6am tomorrow.
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