A police van with two staff and five people in custody on board left State Highway 2 in icy conditions in the Wharerata hills near Gisborne this morning.
Police, Fire and Emergency NZ and St John Ambulance were called out at 6.40am.
"The van slid off the road and into the bushes alongside the highway," a police spokesman said.
"It remained on its wheels."
The van was travelling south to Hawke's Bay when the mishap occurred.