The weekend road toll now stands at eight, following a fatal crash in the Tasman district in which a fleeing car crashed into another vehicle causing three deaths, police say.
The crashes bring this year’s road toll to 75 - seven more than at this time last year.
Supt Johnson said the car failed to stop and fled towards State Highway 6, overtaking a truck and moving onto the wrong side of the road where it crashed into another vehicle near Hope that was travelling north about 5.40am.
Three people died as a result - two from the vehicle and a third person was an innocent member of the public, he said.
"An outcome like this is the last thing police want to see. We now have three families who have lost members.
"These incidents are always extremely testing for police. They are fast-moving, unpredictable and high pressure situations that require quick judgements.
"Ultimately, police are here to protect our community. Our staff must strike a balance between the responsibility to protect life and the duty to enforce the law."
State Highway 6 was expected to be closed for some time on Sunday while the serious crash unit investigated.
Supt Johnson said there would be an internal investigation regarding the pursuit and the Independent Police Conduct Authority had also been formally notified.
'Critical' injuries after crashes in Invercargill, Northland
One person has been airlifted to hospital in a critical condition following a crash in Dipton, north of Invercargill, today.
Police and St John ambulance crews rushed to the scene on the Dipton-Winton Highway shortly after 11am.
One car had careened off the road and into a nearby field, leaving the driver with broken bones.
The solo occupant was airlifted to Dunedin Hospital by a St John helicopter.
Meanwhile. three people were flown to hospital with injuries after a crash in Northland overnight.
A St John helicopter rushed to the scene in Ruakaka shortly before midnight and a crew treated the injured parties.
One person has been critically injured, while two others had suffered serious injuries.
First fatality on Friday
The first person killed at the weekend was a man who died in a single-vehicle crash on Mountain View Rd in Hikurangi, Northland, just before midnight on Friday.
Two people received minor injuries.
Seven hours later, two people died when a truck and a van collided in the central North Island at 6.40am on Saturday.
The crash happened at the intersection of State Highway 47 and SH48, the same place a bus crashed down a bank 14 months ago, injuring 14 tourists and the driver.
Two people died and a third was flown to Auckland Hospital in a serious condition after two cars crashed on State Highway 10 about 2.20pm, north of Kaeo in the Far North on Saturday.
When emergency services arrived at the crash, they found four people trapped - three in one vehicle, one in another.
