A man is dead after a truck and car collided on State Highway 1, south of Whangārei this morning.
The 53-year-old man died in the car.
Inspector Wayne Ewers told the Northern Advocate it appears a northbound four-wheel-drive crossed the centre line and collided with a southbound New World truck and trailer unit.
Ewers said it was not clear at this stage why the car crossed the road and the police serious crash unit would investigate.
A kaumatua was at the site to bless the crash scene. The 4WD ended up crashed into a fence off the south-bound lane.
The truck driver was uninjured, despite the vehicle jack-knifing and going through a farm fence before ending up in a paddock off the northbound lane.The road is blocked near the intersection of Shoemaker Rd after the 9am crash.
Northbound traffic is being diverted up Shoemaker Rd and The Braigh, and southbound traffic through Nova Scotia Drive.
The fatality follows another crash on SH1 south of Whangārei on Saturday that claimed the life of gifted tattooist David Hart, 45. This morning's crash brings Northland's road toll for the year to 22, compared to 40 for the whole of last year.
It took until July 13 for the road toll to reach 20 last year.
Constable Vincent Kahui joined in after much encouragement from the crowd.