A young man who died in a crash between a car and a ute over the holidays had a "smile to define the word cheesy", and "endless love and kindness for anyone who needed it".

An 18-year-old Aucklander who loved sport and kapa haka is the youngest victim of the holiday road toll.

Five people remain in hospital after a serious crash involving several vehicles in Lindis Pass yesterday afternoon.

Firefighters had to rescue an elderly driver after her car crashed through a fence at Auckland shopping mall.

The holiday road toll has risen to ten following a two-vehicle crash in the Hawkes Bay tonight where one person died.

Crashes around North Island roads have kept emergency crews busy overnight and this morning.

The single-car crash happened on State Highway 35, near Tologa Bay.

A man who suffered serious head injuries in a three-car crash near Opotiki remains in a critical condition in Tauranga Hospital.

Several car crashes have caused road closures in parts of the country this afternoon. In Nelson one person died and two were injured when a light van crashed.

One person is dead and two injured after a car crash near Motueka early this morning. Police say speed was possibly the cause of the crash.

Motorists are being urged not to let the festive season impair their judgment when travelling on the roads today.

A teenager is in a serious but stable condition after her car was hit by a ute and spun into a station wagon near Paihia yesterday.

A young driver who crashed into a truck carrying stock feed might have been blinded by dust on the rural road, police say.

The motorcyclist who died after hitting a fence yesterday afternoon was riding with a group that included his family and friends.

Several people have been taken to hospital after a crash in South Otago.

A van carrying alcohol rolled on Auckland's South Western Motorway causing traffic mayhem today.

The road toll now stands at six after a person died in a crash between a car and a truck in near Christchurch this afternoon.

A police spokesman said the fire service had cut three people from vehicles.

Two women died in a head-on crash after leaving a whanau get-together and police are working to establish if driver in fatal crash was using phone.

The image of Harman Singh helping Daejon Pahia circulated around the world. The Herald finds out what's been happening to his life.

Emergency services were called to an extremely remote area east of Raglan where a motorbike crash occurred

Since the start of the official holiday road toll there have been 373 crashes on New Zealand roads and three lives have been lost.

The holiday road toll stands at one and so far there have been 251 crashes across New Zealand.

Crash data from a notorious piece of road popular with Auckland holidaymakers could hold clues on how to lower New Zealand's road toll.

A Christmas Day crash in Northland has brought the holiday road toll to one, dashing hopes for zero fatalities.

A person has died after a three-vehicle collision near Whangarei this evening.

The holiday road toll has climbed to one after a fatal crash in Northland early this evening.

The crash happened on Ngongotaha Road at about 4.30pm when two cars collided.

One person has been critically injured in a road accident in Ranui.