(File photo) Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
Manawatū Police are urging motorists to take care on the roads, after three people died as a result of crashes in the region since the start of the long weekend.
During the weekend two people died within 24 hours in separate crashes in or near the small rural town of Dannevirke.
One person died in a single-vehicle crash on State Highway 2, just north of the town, about 4.15pm on Friday.
The second person died in a crash between a scooter and ute on High Street about 9.30am on Saturday.
Then on Saturday evening, a person died in a single-vehicle crash on Oxford Street in Ashhurst, north of Palmerston North.
Police said in a statement the cause of each of the crashes was still under investigation.
But they asked drivers to slow down on the roads, buckle up, not drive while drunk or under the influence of drugs and to put their phone away while driving.
"We cannot overstate the impact the death of a loved one in a crash has on their family and the wider community."
They also reminded motorists to drive to the conditions, which could mean travelling below the speed limit in some cases.