A section of SH2 was closed for at least four hours.
A woman who died after a State Highway 2 crash south of Dannevirke was Philipa Ann Beech, 69, of Pahiatua.
She was one of three people reported to have been injured on Friday in what police said was a crash involving two utes on SH2, near the intersection
with Gaisford Rd, about 12km south of Dannevirke.
The section of highway was closed for at least four hours while emergency services and police were at the scene after the accident about 5pm.
According to Ministry of Transport provisional statistics for 2025, it was the fourth fatality on Tararua District roads, and the 17th in the area from Tararua to Wairoa.