One dead, five injured in two-car crash

A 6-month-old boy and a 4-year-old boy who were injured in a fatal car crash near Tuakau are in a stable condition at Starship Hospital.

A front-seat passenger has died, with five others injured, after the crash on Buckland Rd - a 100 km/h country road - north of Tuakau.

Police and emergency services are at the scene near the intersection of Parker Lane.

The head-on crash involving two cars was reported at 12.28pm.

A person near the scene of the crash said it was believed the two critical patients were children, and had been transported to Starship Hospital by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

A nearby resident, who is waiting for police to clear the crash site before being able to get home, said it was on a dangerous bend with a considerable amount of loose metal from where trucks turn up a lane to reach a landfill site.

"I don't know how they got a resource consent for it [the landfill]," said the resident, who did not want to be named.

"It was an accident waiting to happen"

The resident said it was the same bend, about 4km north of Tuakau, which claimed the lives of four people in a fiery two-car crash in 2009.

All four, including a five-year-old child, were occupants of a car which lost control on the bend while overtaking another vehicle.

Two helicopters were at the scene, as well as police, fire and St John ambulance service.

The road is closed with diversions being prepared for the intersections at Tuakau Road to the north and Geraghty's Road to the south.

Police said there was "significant disruption" as diversions were being arranged and motorists are advised to avoid the area completely.

- NZ Herald