Three people have died in two serious truck crashes on South Island roads this morning.
Two people died after their car collided head-on with a truck about 3am on State Highway 1 near Dunedin.
Police said the female passenger died at the scene and the male driver, who suffered serious injuries after being trapped in the vehicle, died a short time later.
The crash happened near Riversdale Rd, East Taieri-Allanton.
The highway was closed while serious crash investigators examined the scene.
Diversions at the airport turn-off and Riccarton Rd lasted several hours before the road was re-opened mid-morning.
The second fatality, also involving a truck and car, happened about 3am on SH1 south of Makikihi, South Canterbury.
Police say the driver of the car died at the scene but the truck driver was treated for minor injuries. There were no passengers in either vehicle.
The highway was closed and diversions were put in place. The road was also reopened to traffic mid-morning.
The police serious crash unit will be investigating the smash.
It comes as Winston Peters has yet to back up claims he's made about Dr Ayesha Verrall.