'Absolutely gutting': Horror night on the roads claims five lives

Author: Lochlan Lineham,
Publish Date: Mon, 1 Jun 2026, 12:51pm

A horror night on the roads has claimed five lives in three separate crashes, with a sixth person missing.

It brings the King’s Birthday holiday road toll to seven, with the official count set to end at 6am tomorrow.

Police confirmed this morning that three people had died after an early morning crash on the Desert Road, while separate single-vehicle crashes left a further two people dead.

On Friday evening, two fatal crashes in Taupō and near Dunedin happened within an hour of each other.

Director of road policing Superintendent Steve Greally said the five overnight deaths were “absolutely gutting”.

“We are thinking of their families today, while they deal with the awful reality that their lives will never be the same.”

Greally urged motorists travelling home after the long weekend to take every safety precaution.

“We say it all the time but we’re going to say it again – there are four main things that contribute to death or serious injury on the roads.

“Those are speeding, not using your seatbelt, driving distracted, or driving impaired, including by tiredness.

“If you’re getting on the road today, please – buckle up, put your phone away, watch your speed, and if you are at all impaired by alcohol, drugs or tiredness, stop – don’t get behind the wheel."

Those steps may be the difference between getting home or not, he said.

A horror night on the roads has left five people dead. Photo / File

In the Desert Rd crash, three people were found dead at the scene, while two further people suffered serious injuries and another person, who police believe was also in the vehicle, has not been accounted for.

A search and rescue operation is underway to locate them.

Early this morning, a person was found dead at the scene of a single-vehicle crash on Waiheke Island.

Emergency services were called to Onetangi Rd, near Waiheke Golf Club, at around 1.30am.

Club staffer Pauline Newell told the Herald that a power pole, around 100m from the course entrance, was downed, and a section of the club’s fence was damaged.

Yesterday evening, one person died following a crash in Wairākei, where a car hit a tree.

Police were alerted to the single-vehicle crash on Poihipi Rd at 7.25pm, a spokesperson said.

The driver was the sole occupant of the car.

On Friday in Allanton, 17km south of Dunedin, a person died and two others received minor injuries after a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of State Highway 1 and Law Rd just before 5.40pm.

There was a second fatal crash that same evening on Te Heuheu St in Taupō just before 6.30pm, police said.

One person died at the scene and two others were critically injured in the two-vehicle crash.