Police are asking travellers to drive with care during the holiday season after a tragic week of road deaths.
(File image) Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
Nine people have died on the road since Monday.
A pedestrian died in Taupō after a crash involving a car in the early hours of this morning.
The collision happened shortly after 1am on Broadlands Road.
Another person died in a serious crash on State Highway 1 near Waipu in Northland on Thursday afternoon.
Police are appealing for sightings or dashcam footage of a man walking in the area after midnight.
Yesterday, a ute driver died after a crash with a milk tanker near the intersection of Ingram Road and State Highway 3, Rukuhia, Waikato.
In another incident yesterday, a motorcyclist died following a collision with a northbound freight train near Otaio, South Canterbury.
John O'Neill Dent, 81, of Katikati died on Tuesday night following a two-vehicle crash in Tahawai, Western Bay of Plenty District.
Another person died on Tuesday after a crash on Te Towaka-Port Ligar Road, Cissy Bay, Marlborough.
On Monday, Amon James Saunders, 39, of Alexandra died after a crash on the Gibbston Valley Highway, in which a vehicle rolled down a bank.
Police thanked those at the scene who climbed down the bluff face to provide first aid to Saunders.
A car driver died on Monday after a collision with a truck on State Highway 1, Manakau, Horowhenua on Monday.
And another person died this week after a crash on 7 December in Whitby.
With extra traffic expected over the next few days, police said people needed to be patient.
Assistant commissioner Bruce O'Brien said it had already been a tough year for everyone due to Covid-19, and people should now be getting a chance to spend time with loved ones, not planning tangi.
"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."
O'Brien said speed, alcohol, distractions and being unrestrained in vehicles continued to be driving factors of on-road deaths and injuries.
As of this morning, 310 people have died on New Zealand roads this year.
Eleven people died on the roads from Christmas Eve last year to 5 January, 2021.