A person has suffered critical injuries when the car they were driving smashed into a tree near Te Puke overnight.
The 33-year-old man had been travelling along the Te Puke Highway when the crash happened about 8.50pm, between Rangiuru Rd and Kenana Rd. The man was this morning recovering in ICU in a serious but stable condition.
The highway was shut as emergency services worked to treat the driver and clear the scene.
A police communications spokesman said there was only one person involved. They had suffered critical injuries.
"The person was removed from the vehicle and handed to ambulance staff. We took over with traffic control. This was logged a serious crash."