One person killed in Northland crash

One person has been killed and two people seriously injured in a crash involving up to four vehicles in Northland this afternoon.

The accident happened on State Highway 1 on the Whangarei side of the Brynderwyn Hills just before 4pm, police said.

Emergency units are at the scene, and traffic diversions have been put in place.

No further details were immediately available.

The death is the third fatal accident over the weekend.

A crash near Nelson last night left a 46-year-old bushman from Richmond dead.

Michael Sean Barclay was killed in the single vehicle crash on State Highway 6 in Clark Valley, about 80km southwest of Nelson, about 10pm.

Mr Barclay's southbound ute left the road and crashed down a bank before colliding with a large tree, Senior Sergeant Stu Koefoed, of Nelson police, said.

"Speed was clearly a factor in this crash as the vehicle was extensively damaged with the motor being thrown seven metres away from the vehicle, and the driver having to be cut from the wreckage.

"A passenger from the vehicle was thrown out during the crash and raised the alarm," Mr Koefoed said.

The passenger was in Nelson Hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.

Early this morning a young man has been killed after he fell from a car and it ran him over on a beach near Tauranga.

The 22-year-old local man had been riding on the outside of the car on Omanu beach in Mount Maunganui about 1am, Senior Sergeant Carl Purcell of Tauranga police said.

The driver of the car had been drinking and was charged with drink driving after he blew a reading of 446 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal limit is 400.

The 23-year-old man may face further charges, Mr Purcell said.

- NZPA