Ambulance and ute collide on Northland road

An 18-year-old man has serious head injuries after ahead-on collision with an ambulance on State Highway 12 just north of Kaikohe this morning.

Kaikohe volunteer fire brigade deputy chief Wiremu Matene said the man's four wheel dive ute was heading towards Rawene, when it collided an ambulance travelling towards Kaikohe about 5am.

The ute flipped and ended up in a ditch.

The driver of the ambulance was uninjured and managed to get out and help free the ute driver, who was flown by rescue helicopter to Whangarei Hospital.

Both the ute and the ambulance were badly damaged.

Police suspect tiredness on the part of the ute driver was a factor in the crash.