A man was killed after a car and truck collided on State Highway 2 in the Thames district.
Police said the vehicles crashed at an intersection about midway between the SH1 turn-off and Paeroa about 4am.
The male driver of the car, its sole occupant, was killed.
The truck driver was shaken but uninjured.
Police said SH2 has been closed while the serious crash unit investigated.
The road was likely to remain shut until at least 9am and detours were in place.
Police asked motorists to be patient as the detours were quite long because of the location of the crash.
