It took less than an hour for the first fatality of the New Year, between Te Aroha and Paeroa.
Police are imploring motorists to drive safely to the conditions on the first weekend of the year.
Nationwide weather agency MetService on Friday morning upgraded a heavy rain watch into a heavy rain warning for Hawke’s Bay north of Napier, and extended it into the Ruahine Ranges.
The warning said 70-100mm of rain, with peaks at up to 25mm an hour, could be expected for the 14 hours from 9am-11pm on Saturday.
With potential for surface flooding and slips, and rapid rising of streams and rivers, it would likely hit state highways 2 and 5 as traffic intensifies in the last days of the peak holiday season.
Eastern Police road policing manager Inspector Angela Hallett said there were at least two crashes in wet weather on Monday-Tuesday.
They included the death of a person when a vehicle left the road between Tangoio and Tutira late on Tuesday morning, but she stressed that crash was still under investigation.
Eastern Police District road policing manager Inspector Angela Hallett. Photo / NZME
National police director of road policing Superintendent Steve Greally noted the 2025 numbers represented the third year in a row of nationwide road-toll decline.
In the same period, police had almost tripled the number of driver alcohol breath tests.
“For another year, our officers have worked tirelessly to ensure we can do everything possible to reduce the number of serious injuries and fatalities on our roads,” he said.
“Breath testing and speed enforcement are two of our main focus areas, and we will continue to make no excuses for stopping and testing people.
“Unfortunately, we are still seeing evidence that people are making the wrong decisions when it comes to speed,” he said.
Police also rolled out roadside driver drug testing in the Wellington region in December, and expect the offensive to go national between April and June.
In Hawke’s Bay, where the open road speed limit on SH5 between Eskdale and the Rangitaiki Plains reverted to 100km/h, after three years at 80km/h, a big year is ahead on the roads, with the Expressway four-laning project underway, including bridge construction, and a start expected on the Waikare realignment north of Putorino.
Doug Laing is a Hawke’s Bay Today reporter based in Napier, and who first covered a fatal road crash in the region in 1973 – the year of New Zealand’s worst road toll.