Two killed on weekend roads

A Fijian woman is one of two deaths to be recorded on the country's roads this weekend.

The 27-year-old woman, who was a front seat passenger, was killed when the car she was in left the road and crashed into a powerpole on State Highway 1, north of Ashburton, South Canterbury, this morning.

The accident happened shortly after 1am, and no other vehicles were involved, said Sergeant Sean Buchanan of Ashburton Police.

The male driver, 27 and also from Fiji, was critically injured and taken to Christchurch Hospital.

"At the time of the crash the weather was overcast and the road was damp. Next of kin who live overseas have yet to be notified," Mr Buchanan said.

Yesterday afternoon Israel Maki Tane Porter, 27, of Gordonton, north of Hamilton, was killed when his car collided with a van on the outskirts of Hamilton.

Waikato police said they had called off the pursuit of Mr Porter's Mazda 323 shortly before the accident.

The car was seen weaving in and out of traffic at speeds in excess of 100km/h.

But Inspector Leo Tooman said the pursuit lasted less than two minutes before the pursuing officer pulled out because he was worried about the driving manner of the offender.

He then saw a cloud of dust in the distance as the Mazda collided with the van. Mr Porter was dead when the officer reached the scene.

Six passengers in the van were taken to Waikato Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Meanwhile, police were today continuing to investigate a freak accident which left a four-week old baby dead in Auckland yesterday.

It is believed that the child was knocked from her mother's arms when her car rolled backwards, and the baby fell under the wheels.

- NZPA