Motorcyclist dead after crash with tractor in Richmond Downs

A motorcyclist has died after a crash with a tractor in Richmond Downs, Matamata.

Police were called to Piakonui Rd at 10.40am yesterday.

The motorcyclist was taken to hospital with critical injuries and died overnight.

A spokesperson said inquiries into the crash are ongoing.

This death brings the Easter holiday road toll to five.

Three people died and 15 others were injured in two separate crashes near Tekapo on State Highway 8 in Canterbury.

Both crashes involved three vehicles each and have left emergency services and members of the public alike reeling.

In Rotorua, one person has died and another has been seriously injured after a crash early this morning.

Only one person was killed on New Zealand roads during the Easter period last year.

Five people died over Easter in 2022, and seven in 2021.