The official Christmas holiday road toll now stands at four deaths, after two people were killed in separate crashes today.

The latest death is a person involved in a two-vehicle crash on State Highway 1, near Kaikōura, shortly after 9.30am.

Police said two vehicles had collided on SH1 at Ohau Point.

Police initially said two people had suffered serious injuries in the crash. However, they confirmed late this morning that a person had been killed.

The second victim has been airlifted to hospital in a serious condition.

Authorities are advising motorists in the area that travel will be disrupted and they should plan for delays.

The other new death reported today was that of a driver killed in a single-vehicle crash at the intersection of Orini Rd and McConnell Rd, in Orini, about 12.30am.

Police said the sole occupant of the vehicle was found dead.

Orini Rd was closed overnight between Rutherford and Tenfoot Rds as the Serious Crash Unit carried out a scene examination.

The circumstances of the crash are not yet known and inquiries are ongoing.

NZ’s annual road toll

The two new road deaths take this year’s official Christmas holiday road toll to four, after two deaths were reported yesterday.

A man who was struck by a car on a street in Napier, on Boxing Day, suffered critical injuries and died in hospital on Monday.

The second road toll death was recorded yesterday, after a single-vehicle crash on State Highway 2 in Tangoio, Hawke’s Bay.

Last year, 15 people were killed on New Zealand roads during the official Christmas holiday period, which started at 4pm on Christmas Eve and ends at 6am on Monday, January 5.

New Zealand’s annual road toll this year now stands at 271. If it remains below 272, it will be the second-lowest annual road toll total since 1951.