The number of road deaths during the Christmas holiday period has decreased for the second year in a row.

There were a total of seven deaths recorded for the holiday period which ended at 6am, a sizeable drop from the 15 deaths reported last year, and even further from the 22 deaths during 2023/2024.

While the decrease was described as encouraging, director of road policing Superintendent Steven Greally said it was still seven deaths too many.

“Seven families have lost loved ones, for no good reason, and instead of being able to celebrate during this holiday season, their lives have been changed forever.

“There are many contributing factors to lowering road trauma. Under Operation Open Roads, there has been an immense lift in police enforcement over the last three years, to address those areas of the network that have higher speeds and those others that have high risk.

“This is likely to have played a part in the success over these years. 

In addition to the road toll’s decline over the most recent holiday period, the month of December also saw road fatalities drop to 17, the lowest for the month in 45 years.

The 10-year average for December road fatalities is 35, so the decrease in December 2025 was a promising sign that preventive measures are working.

Seven people died on the roads over the 2025/2026 Christmas holiday period, down from 15 the previous year and 22 over 2023/2024. Photo / NZME

“We’re not going to celebrate until we have zero deaths on our roads, but this is trending in the right direction,” Greally said.

“Our job continues and we won’t be letting up our focus on road safety, not for a second.”

Police would continue targeting unsafe driving behaviour, particularly around higher-risk crash areas, through road policing operations and patrols.

The Christmas holiday periodofficially began at 4pm on December 24 and ran until 6am today.

The last death recorded over the period occurred during a single-vehicle crash on Puhinui Rd, Papatoetoe, around 10.15pm last night.

The sole occupant was critically injured and transported to hospital, but died soon after.

Shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day, a vehicle crashed at the intersection of State Highway 26 and Cadman Rd, in Tirohia, killing the sole occupant.

Another person died in a suspected hit-and-run on Kaipara Coast Highway that morning, with police appealing for footage and information from anyone travelling in the area between midnight and 5.30am.

On December 31, a person died in a single-vehicle crash at the intersection of Orini Rd and McConnell Rd, in Orini, about 12.30am.

Later that morning, a two-vehicle crash on SH1, near Kaikōura, shortly after 9.30am killed one person.

Meanwhile, another road death was recorded on December 30 after a car plunged off SH2 into a bank in Tangoio, Hawke’s Bay.

The first death over the holiday period was a man who was struck by a car on a Napier street on Boxing Day.

He received critical injuries and died in hospital on December 29.