"A couple of people have reported minor injuries, but no serious injuries are involved," a police spokesperson said.
A witness said she counted five cars involved in the crash.
Herald reporter Megan Harvey, who was driving south on the motorway when the crash happened, had to slam on the brakes to avoid the pile-up.
"I went pretty much from 100km/h to stopped"
She said after stopping safely, she passed the crash site and saw five cars that had been affected in a "knock-on effect".
"The guy in front of me stopped pretty fast, and I almost hit him, but the two of us missed it," Harvey said.
The crash follows the breakdown of a black Ferrari on the Southern Motorway at about 1pm.
The NZ Transport Agency said the breakdown had resulted in two lanes being blocked.
People were advised to expect delays between Mt Wellington and Symonds St "due to a breakdown, which is blocking lane three and four adjacent to the Symonds St off-ramp."
Tow services had since removed the Ferrari but traffic was still slow and people were advised to consider using alternate routes or delay their journeys.
