One person is dead following a major crash between a bus and a car in Rotorua, which left 31 people injured, two critically.

Hato Hone St John sent 10 vehicles to attend the incident on Te Ngae Rd in Owhata at 9.15pm yesterday.

Police said the passenger in the car was killed, and the driver and a second passenger were critically injured.

“The bus was carrying passengers at the time, and fortunately, those on the bus only sustained minor injuries,” a police spokesperson said.

St John said one patient in a critical condition was airlifted to Waikato Hospital. Another patient was transported to Rotorua Hospital in a critical condition.

Three patients in a moderate condition were also transported to Rotorua Hospital.

A further 26 patients in a “minor condition” were assessed and did not require transport, a St John spokesperson said.

Five ambulances, two helicopters, a rapid response Unit, two operations managers, and a major incident support vehicle were sent to the scene.

Inquiries into the circumstances of the crash are under way, a police spokesperson said.

Jaime Lyth is a multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald, focusing on crime and breaking news. Lyth began working under the NZ Herald masthead in 2021 as a reporter for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei.