Eighteen people have died in road accidents since Monday morning, and 26 in the week from last Friday.
The death of a cyclist in Nelson this morning took the road toll since Monday to 18, in a horror week on the roads.
In a full week from last Friday, 26 people have been killed on the roads, the New Zealand Herald reports.
The cyclist was involved in a collision with a car on State Highway 6 late this morning.
Earlier, a 12-year-old and an adult died and two children and another adult have serious injuries after a truck and a car crashed in Christchurch this morning.
Emergency services were called just after midnight to the intersection of Yaldhurst Rd and Russley Rd.
The injured are in a serious condition.
And about 7am one person was killed after a motorcylist was hit by a car near Waipa, in the Waikato.
One person died in a crash on State Highway 50 at around 1.20am yesterday in Tikokino, Central Hawke's Bay.
A car crashed into a bridge near Glencoe Station Rd and Creek Rd, killing the occupant at the scene.
On Wednesday night, a motorcyclist died in a crash in Manawatu after hitting a cow on a rural road.
The cow was euthanised at the scene and no other vehicles were involved in the incident.
On 2 April, one person died following a serious two-car crash on the Te Puke Highway, near Te Puke.
On 1 April, nine people were killed in separate fatal crashes across the country.
In Taupō, five people from the same family died in a crash on Tirohanga Rd near the Kinleith Forest. The crash was reported about 8.20am.
An 11-year-old boy is the sole survivor of the crash.
Police said people in the vehicle were not wearing their seat belts.
On the same day, a woman and two young children were killed in a crash in Ashburton.
The NZ Transport Agency is reminding drivers to be vigilant.
Road safety director Harry Wilson said half the time crashes were caused by good drivers making simple errors.
"A moment of inattention can have tragic consequences," Mr Wilson said.
The AA called this week one of the worst for road deaths in New Zealand's recent history
"Things were looking good this year, and now - in the space of seven days - that's completely changed," spokesperson Dylan Thomsen said.
Associate minister of transport Julie Anne Genter said it had been a tragic week.
"Any death on our roads is a tragedy, but this has been a particularly bad week.
"What really breaks my heart about this week is the number of very young people who've lost their lives in crashes," Ms Genter said.
"This is why road safety is a priority for the government and it's why we need sustained committment to change over the next few years so that we can prevent deaths like these."
