More than 20 sheep were killed when a car ploughed into a stray flock northeast of Wairoa.
Emergency services were alerted at 9.35pm on Friday and police, a Wairoa Volunteer Fire Brigade crew and a St John Ambulance rushed to the scene on State Highway 2 near the Whakaki Lagoon.
Some of the animals were still pinned beneath the vehicle, some were strewn across the road and other injured sheep were also on the highway or in drains beside the road.
Some had to be destroyed by the farmer who owned the sheep and who was understood to have been unaware they were on the road until told of the accident.
No one in the northbound BMW car was injured, although the protective air bags were activated, said volunteer Senior Fire Officer Philip Jane, who helped control traffic and then cleaned the road.
