Two crashes, an hour apart, have left multiple victims suffering moderate injuries on State Highway 5, north of Rotorua.
A police spokeswoman said the first crash involved a truck and a van on the Rotorua side of Fitzgerald Glade, at the intersection with Waiohotu Rd, at 8.50am.
The van driver was initially trapped but was freed by firefighters and found to have sustained moderate injuries.
One lane of the road had reopened when a second crash occurred, at 9.50am, nearby on SH5, involving two cars and leaving three people with moderate injuries.
Northern fire communications shift manager Daniel Nicholson said police and firefighters remain at the scene and are carrying out traffic control and clearing the area.
