The names of the two motorcyclists killed in Southland on Saturday have been released.
The two motorcyclists, who were taking part charity ride to raise money for an unborn child with a heart defect, were killed after a crash shortly before 1pm south of Otautau, near the intersection of Fairfax Isla Bank Rd and Riverton Otautau Rd.
Police said today they were Timothy James Meers, 50, of Otautau, and Russell Allan Blackford, 41, of Athol.
They were among eight to die during a horror three days on the roads nationally, including four motorcyclists killed in the space of four hours on Saturday afternoon.
The spate of deaths spurred a top road safety police officer to plead for riders and drivers to pay attention and stop taking risks.