Nineteen people have died travelling on Aotearoa-New Zealand roads over the Christmas New Year period.
The holiday road toll officially ended at 6 am today.
The Ministry of Transport provisional data shows there were 343 road-related deaths in 2023, 29 fewer than in 2022.
Crashes on roads continue to be a leading cause of death in the country. The Waikato district had the most fatalities, followed equally by Auckland and the Bay of Plenty.
Police say speed, alcohol, drugs, and distraction were the main causes of death and serious injury, and urged people to wear seatbelts as it could make a difference between surviving a crash and not.
As travellers continue to return from holiday, they’re being warned to be patient, plan their trips, drive sober, and pull over if they feel tired.
Police have yet to release the name of the person who died following a crash in Waimā, Northland on Tuesday evening. This was the last incident to conclude the holiday road toll.
Those who have been named have included Brayden Tawa. On December 27, Tawa lost his life in an automobile and truck collision near the intersection of Aerodrome Rd and Hewletts Rd/State Highway 2, Mount Maunganui.
The truck driver and two other passengers all survived the collision with only minor injuries. A police spokesman said the investigation into the cause of the crash was ongoing.
It’s understood that a rāhui on Waikāinga stream near Kauhanga marae has been lifted following the recovery of two bodies on December 30. Two children aged 6 and aged 4 died on December 29. The pair were travelling on a utility-terrain vehicle (UTV) with four other people when they crashed into a boulder and rolled into a water hole at Waikāinga Stream.
The water hole is 11 metres deep and a popular swimming spot in the Far North. A Go Fund Me page has been set up and has raised almost $100,000 in just two days.
In a statement, Far North District Mayor Moko Te Pania sent his “aroha and prayers to the whānau involved.” Te Pania also urged people to take extra care when driving in the Far North.
In just over a month, there have been four fatalities involving quad bikes. The last was a woman in Marokopa riding a quad bike on a rural road. The other accidents were in Eketāhuna and Stratford.