One dead and one seriously injured after fatal crash near Gisborne

State Highway 2 has reopened near Gisborne after a fatal crash.

Police were called to the two-vehicle crash, near McMillan Rd, about 6.50am.

Te Karaka chief fire officer Jamie Simpson said a ute and an SUV “collided head-on”.

“The man who died was alone in one vehicle, and a man in the other was out of the vehicle when we arrived.”

A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said one person was taken to Gisborne Hospital by ambulance in a serious condition.

Police and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi confirmed the road had reopened just after 1pm, about 6 hours after the incident.

The road was earlier closed between Te Karaka and Lavenham Rd.

Simpson urged extra caution along State Highway 2, either side of the section formerly known as Nesbitt’s Dip, now the Hakanui Straight.

“With the rain on the road and mud from the road works at Nesbitt’s, the roads are a bit slippery at the moment,” Simpson said.

“People need to take extra care.”