Two die on roads

One person is dead and seven others were taken to hospital after a three-car collision in West Auckland yesterday morning.

The crash occurred at the intersection of Brigham Creek Rd and Totara Rd, near Whenuapai Air Force Base, about 11am.

Road closures were in place as the Serious Crash Unit investigated.

The name of the dead driver had not been released last night.

Graham Chard, a warrant officer at the base, narrowly missed the accident. He protected the scene and helped the injured before emergency services arrived.

He estimated there were two or three accidents at the intersection every month and said people ignored the 50km/h speed limit.

Jeremy Robert Conder, a 28-year-old farmhand, died late on Friday night after skidding into a stream on Wiremu Rd near Okato, 26km southwest of New Plymouth, just before midnight.

Police said ambulance staff tried unsuccessfully to save Conder's life.

A second motorcyclist, who was with him at the time, is believed to have left the scene shortly after the crash.

Police want to speak to that person, or anyone may have seen the motorcyclists on or near Wiremu Rd before the crash.

Meanwhile a young Asian woman was in a critical condition last night after her moped collided with a truck and trailer just before 3pm in Palmerston North.

Senior Sergeant Nick Dobson said the woman suffered serious head injuries and was taken to Palmerston North Hospital. She was later flown to Wellington Hospital.

Police were appealing for witnesses.