Eighteen people have died in road accidents since Monday morning.
The remains of a vehicle involved in the fatal crash near Ashburton that claimed three lives. Photo: RNZ / Simon Rogers
The number of people who have died in a horror week on the roads has risen again this morning, with the death of a cyclist in Nelson taking the road toll since Monday to 18.
The cyclist was involved in a collision with a car on State Highway 6 late this morning.
A 12-year-old and an adult died and two children and another adult have serious injuries after a truck and a car crashed in Christchurch this morning.
Emergency services were called just after midnight to the intersection of Yaldhurst Rd and Russley Rd.
The injured are in a serious condition.
And at about 7am one person was killed after a motorcylist was hit by a car near Waipa.
One person died in a crash on State Highway 50 at around 1.20am yesterday in Tikokino, Central Hawke's Bay.
A car crashed into a bridge near Glencoe Station Rd and Creek Rd, killing the occupant at the scene.
On Wednesday night, a motorcyclist died in a crash in Manawatu after hitting a cow on a rural road. Police were called to Bainesse Rd, south-west of Palmerston North about 8.10pm.
The cow was euthanised at the scene and no other vehicles were involved in the incident.
On 2 April, one person died following a serious two-car crash on the Te Puke Highway, near Te Puke.
Police were called to the scene at around 5.40pm.
On 1 April, nine people were killed in separate fatal crashes across the country.
In Taupō, five people from the same family died in a crash on Tirohanga Rd.
The crash near the Kinleith Forest was reported at about 8.20am on 1 April.
They were 44-year-old Peter Rangikataua, 15-year-old Michelle Morgan-Rangikataua, 14-year-old Aroha Morgan-Rangikataua, 12-year-old Kahukura Morgan-Rangikataua of Rotorua and 26-year-old Rangi Rangikataua of Atiamuri.
An 11-year-old boy is the sole survivor of the crash.
Police said people in the vehicle were not wearing their seat belts, which led to the deaths.
Students from Rotorua Lakes High School attended by two of the victims - Michelle and Aroha - will be visiting their marae today.
Their classmates, teachers and the wider school community have been invited to the tangi.
The Transport Agency is reminding drivers to be vigilant.
Road safety director Harry Wilson said half the time crashes are caused by good drivers making simple errors.
"A moment of inattention can have tragic consequences," Mr Wilson said.
The AA called this week one of the worst for road deaths in New Zealand's recent history
"Things were looking good this year, and now - in the space of seven days - that's completely changed," spokesperson Dylan Thomsen said.
He said that it is not just drunk drivers, or people speeding that caused crashes.
"I think people often do get quite casual and blasé about the risks that are out on the roads, but the other thing is there's no one silver bullet, there's no one easy answer that can fix all this."
Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter said it had been a tragic week.
"Any death on our roads is a tragedy, but this has been a particularly bad week.
"What really breaks my heart about this week is the number of very young people who've lost their lives in crashes," Ms Genter said.
"This is why road safety is a priority for the government and it's why we need sustained commitment to change over the next few years so that we can prevent deaths like these."
She said that more work needs to be done on enforcement of road rules.
Police figures show that the number of tickets given out for not wearing a seatbelt has dropped by 49 percent in the past decade.