Holiday road toll rises to six after couple die in truck and motorcycle accident in Southland

Two people were killed in an accident between a truck and a motorcycle in Southland.

A man died at the scene and a woman later died in hospital after being transferred to Dunedin Hospital in critical condition.

Their deaths bring the Christmas / New Year highway toll to six, two more than the 2019/2020 total.

The accident occurred at 1.30 pm on the Riverton-Wallacetown Expressway at the Oreti River Bridge.

Emergency services at the scene said the motorcycle and a Fonterra truck appeared to have collided.

A police spokeswoman confirmed that the serious accident police unit had been called.

A New Zealand Fire and Emergency spokesperson said two fire devices had been dispatched to the scene, from Wallacetown and Invercargill.

Firefighters were assisting on the scene, including with traffic control, and police were spearheading operations, the spokesman said.

Police said the road remains closed between Cumnock Street and Taramoa Road.

Motorists should expect delays, take an alternate route, or delay travel through the area.

Two people died on Christmas Day around 7.30pm after a single vehicle accident on Clevedon-Kawakawa Rd in southeast Auckland.

Two others were killed in an accident on Triangle Rd in Henderson, West Auckland on Saturday morning.