One of five children injured in a road crash in Matamata last month has died raising the Christmas-New Year road toll to 17.
Photo: RNZ / Simon Rogers
Police said in a statement today that the 13-year-old girl died in Waikato Hospital yesterday.
She was one of five children injured in the crash on 27 December.
Four other children, aged 10 to 13, received serious injuries.
Police are continuing to make enquiries into the circumstances of the crash.
They say they are disappointed by the number of fatal crashes on the country's roads over the holiday period, many of which could have been avoided.
As of 6am today, 17 people had died in crashes across the country and many more were injured, Assistant Commissioner Bruce O'Brien said.
The figures are an increase from the 11 deaths over the 2020/21 period.
Whānau and friends who lost loved ones in crashes should have been able to enjoy this holiday period with them, not be planning their tangi or funeral, Assistant Commissioner O'Brien said.
"The impact on whānau, friends and communities cannot be measured when someone is killed in a road crash.
"It's also incredibly frustrating for police to see people losing their lives in completely preventable incidents."
He is urging motorists to slow down, not to drink and drive, not be distracted by phones and to allow plenty of time to get to destinations.