A 59-year-old Canterbury man has died after rockfall struck his vehicle near Murchison this afternoon.
Another person in the vehicle suffered minor injuries, a police spokeswoman said.
The crash occurred around 1.50pm around 800m north of O'Sullivans Bridge on SH6, she said.
A single boulder rolled onto the highway near the intersection of SH6 and SH65
and is believed to have smashed into a car heading towards Murchison, an NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) spokesperson said.
The highway has been closed and motorists have been advised to avoid the area.
A section of SH6 north of Murchison has been closed since Sunday after torrential rain caused landslips. It was reopened this afternoon.
This afternoon's crash occurred on a different section of highway, west of Murchison.