A mother and her five children have been taken to hospital — two of them in critical condition - after a two vehicle crash on a rural Whangarei road this afternoon.

The accident, which involved a 4X4 and a people mover, happened on Jordan Valley Rd, Hikurangi, about 1km north of Rushbrook Rd, about 3.31pm police said.

A Northern Advocate reporter at the scene said the 4X4 is on its side in a ditch and the site is being cleared after six people were taken to hospital.

Police said the driver of the 4X4 was uninjured, but all six in the people mover - a woman and her five children - suffered injuries.

A 12-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy were both reported to be in critical condition, while the woman and a five-year-old boy and eight-year-old girl were all in a serious condition.

A nine-year-old girl was reported to have moderate injuries.

The road was blocked for more than an hour after the accident, with traffic diverted down a farm race that ran beside the road. The police serious crash unit will investigate.