The light plane crash was reported around 1.25pm, a police statement said.
A pilot has died after a light plane crash near Ōtaki on the Kāpiti Coast.
Emergency services were alerted to the accident after a rescue beacon was activated this afternoon.
A Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) spokesperson said the emergency locator sounded around 1.08pm Monday, near Ōtaki Gorge Rd.
The Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter headed to the area at around 1.33pm.
There were no other rescue beacons in the area activated unrelated to this afternoon's crash, the spokesman said.
A Civil Aviation Authority spokeswoman confirmed the pilot died at the scene after their Sonex amateur-built fixed-wing aircraft crashed in Hautere.
There were no other people in the aircraft.
Three CAA investigators will investigate the crash tomorrow.
Emergency services were called to the crash site around 1.25pm.
A St John Ambulance confirmed that the Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter attended the crash, but directed further queries to police.
Police said the death will be referred to the Coroner.
A selection of cartoons from Herald cartoonist Rod Emmerson over the past year