Fatal crash near Paparoa is Northland's fourth in a week

Four people have died in separate crashes in Northland in a horror eight days on the region's roads.

One person died in a crash in the early hours of yesterday morning, bringing Northland's road toll for November to five, and to 32 for the year so far.

Emergency services were called to a head-on crash involving two vehicles on State Highway 12 near Paparoa shortly after 4am.

One person had died and another person was transported to Whangārei Hospital with serious injuries. The Police Serious Crash Unit is investigating the crash.

It was the second fatal crash in less than 48 hours in Northland, following a collision at about 2.50pm on State Highway 1 south of Kawakawa on Friday between a ute and prison van.

The driver of the ute, a 65-year-old man from Whangārei, died at the scene. His name is yet to be released.

One of the prison officers from the van was airlifted to Whangārei Hospital with serious injuries. The five prisoners and the other prison guard were shaken and had minor cuts and scratches.

Last Tuesday a 28-year-old woman, believed to be from Whangārei, died in a two-vehicle crash in pouring rain on State Highway 1 about 7km north of Te Hana.

A male passenger in one vehicle and the male driver of the other were seriously injured and flown to hospital.

Last Sunday, 87-year-old Phillip Edward Pratt died after a two-vehicle crash south of Kawakawa. He was returning home from a Little Tennessee Country Music Club get-together near Pakaraka.

The national road toll for 2018 sits at around 340. Northland, which has less than 4 per cent of the population, accounts for almost 10 per cent of the country's road deaths.

Last year, 40 people died on Northland's roads.