New Zealand experienced one of its deadliest days for road crashes on record after nine people were killed yesterday.
And as the busy Easter holiday approaches, police are pleading with motorists to take care.
The nine deaths were part of three separate crashes and included five people from one family who died when their car slammed into a tree near Kinleith, north of Taupo.
An 11-year-old boy survived the crash but has serious injuries.
Taihakoa Maui and Tohu Haa, who both lost family members in the crash, have spoken about the "anguish" of their loss.
Haa said to lose one family member was tough but to lose five was "unbelievable".
"Having one special person in there is bad enough but when you have five this anguish and the crying within is going to carry on for ages, five is just unbelievable," he told 1 News.
"I feel for all the family because they are crying within and today and tomorrow it's going to be the same," Haa said.
Senior Sergeant Fane Troy said some of the car's occupants were not wearing seatbelts and "this has contributed to the deaths".
Another three people were killed when a ute crashed in Ashburton, and a man died when his car plunged into water near Auckland Airport early in the morning.
Since records began, there have been only 10 days with more deaths on New Zealand roads.
The worst was in 1963, when 15 died in a bus crash in Northland.
Yesterday's crashes saw the highest number of road deaths since May 2005 when nine people were killed in a collision between a tourist van and a truck in Matamata-Piako.
Already this year, 101 people have lost their lives on New Zealand roads. Last year, which saw a record annual high, the number of road deaths reached 104 by March 31.
Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter yesterday said the number of deaths on the road yesterday was heartbreaking and was not something we should accept.
"Over the weekend, and again [yesterday], we've been reminded why any fatality is a tragedy. Families, and whole communities are in shock and I know there'll be much grief and sadness," Genter said.
She said she was committed to ensuring that every New Zealander feels safe - and is safe - when travelling on our roads.
"While it's too early to comment on what's been involved in these specific instances, it's clear we need to continue with the urgent rollout of safety upgrades across many of our most dangerous roads – including rural roads," Genter said.
NZ Transport Agency director of safety and environment Harry Wilson said with the Easter holiday period approaching, everyone needed to remember to plan ahead, take regular breaks, and stay safe on our roads.
"Every road tragedy has a ripple effect out into our communities, our workplaces and, of course, within families," Wilson said.
Auckland Transport chief executive, Shane Ellison, said Auckland was facing a road safety crisis with a 78 per cent increase in deaths and a 68 per cent rise in serious injuries since 2014.
"The old adage that speed kills, is absolutely, and tragically, true. Lowering speeds and working with police to enforce those limits is a proven tool internationally to be one of the easiest and most effective interventions available," Ellison said.
