The man who spent the night out in the open after his car came off the road in the Coromandel has his friends to thank for his rescue.

A volunteer firefighter is mourning the loss of his son who was killed when the motorbike he was riding and a truck collided near Matamata last night.

Emergency services were called to the crash but were unable to save the man who died at the scene shortly afterwards.

Police have named the truck driver who died in a three-vehicle crash near Levin last night.

Phillip John Ballantyne, of Invercargill, died after a 1993 Landrover Discovery rolled after taking a bend on Otatara Rd near Currans Rd last night.

Traffic is easing for evening commuters on Auckland's Southern Motorway after two crashes caused headaches this afternoon.

Specialist staff including a serious crash investigator attended the Invercargill crash scene and planned to continue their examinations this morning.

The owner of a Papamoa superette says his mum is lucky to be alive after a car smashed through dairy's wall and tore the store apart.

The woman who died in a two-car crash in Queenstown on Friday was Jennifer Claire Scott, 76.

Police have named the who died after he was thrown from his motorcycle on Whanganui Beach yesterday evening.

Police are still in the ''very early'' stages of the investigation into the crash that killed 18-year-old Nakita May Strange and it is unclear when charges will be laid.

A female passenger of a speeding vehicle which crashed near Taumaranui a week ago has died in hospital.

A 29-year-old suffered from serious injuries as a result of the accident and died at the scene.

Afatal crash near the Karangahake Gorge that may have been caused by a fallen boulder was not in an area known for rockfalls.

A man was killed he crossed the centre line on State Highway 2 near Paeroa and collided with a car this morning.

The 18-year-old girl who died in a crash in central Dunedin yesterday morning was Nakita May Strange.

A truck has smashed into a pole at an intersection, leaving one person injured and delaying traffic.

People mourning the loss of 14-year-old Rangimaria White, who was killed in a hit-and-run in Opotiki at the weekend, are gathering for her tangi today.

Traffic is backed up on Auckland's on north-bound lane.

Central Dunedin residents have told how they were woken by a sickening T-bone crash in which a teenager was killed early this morning.

A diesel spill stretching for about 15km on a Northland road has been mopped up this morning.

A former Pike River Mine worker died when a van did a u-turn in front of him - bringing yet another tragedy to the mining community.

A Westport woman has admitted to careless driving causing the death of 66-year-old Seddonville woman Marie Evelyn Johnston, after initially denying the charge.

A West Coast man killed in a fatal crash near Christchurch on Sunday evening was a former Pike River miner.

A motorcycle and car have collided on the Northern Motorway this morning, slowing down the commute for city-bound drivers.

The family of Rangimaria White are preparing to farewell the 14-year-old who was fatally struck in an Opotiki hit-and-run overnight on Saturday.

A motorist who died in a fatal crash near Ashburton on Friday night has today been named by police.

A tourist driver who killed an Oamaru 5-year-old girl in a crash will have to wait another two weeks for the result of an appeal against his jail sentence.

Two people had a lucky escape when a car they were in plunged into a river today.

Canterbury Police are at the scene of a fatal crash that occurred in Christchurch.