Man falls to death off back of ute

A Southland man died after he fell off the back of a ute near Balfour yesterday bringing the weekend road toll to three.

Senior Constable Jim Bottcher, of Lumsden, said Balfour man James Shane Collyns, 28, died after he fell off the back of a ute about 12.20pm.

It appeared the occupants of the vehicle were shifting house, Mr Bottcher said.

"A gust of wind is believed to have caught a mattress the man was holding on to."

An 84-year-old Stratford man and a Whangarei boy in died separate crashes on Saturday.

Six-year-old Jordin Geraul Laye King, died when the car he was in rolled off State Highway 1 south of Kaitaia just before 8am.

Police said no other vehicles were involved and they were investigating why the driver, who was seriously injured, lost control of the car.

Police are also investigating a crash between a Toyota Surf and Nissan saloon south of the town at Manutahi, 15km southeast of Manutahi soon after mid-day on Saturday.

The elderly sole occupant of the Nissan, whose name has not yet been released, died at the scene and two people in the Toyota suffered minor injuries.

A police spokesman said the crash happened at an intersection with State Highway 3.

- NZPA