Emergency services at the scene of the crash. Photo: George Heard

A new feature on the Apple iPhone may have saved lives in North Canterbury this morning after a tractor collided with a ute on a rural stretch of road near Rangiora.

Emergency services were called to the scene of the crash on Upper Sefton Rd about 9am on Thursday.

Officers were alerted to the incident by an 'automatic crash detection' notification which was sent to police from an iPhone.

“The phones can tell if there’s been an impact and it came through as a notification,” said Simon Lyford, Fire and Emergency NZ shift manager.

“It’s only on the Apple iPhones. People need to have it turned on but it will come through to police - a computer-generated voice will give a longitude and latitude of the crash and say it’s detected a crash.”

Photos from the scene of the crash show a crumpled grey vehicle and a dislodged trailer.

A nearby overturned tractor was blocking both lanes.

Three patients were treated for injuries, police said. Photo: George Heard

Police confirmed three people were injured in the crash, with one person suffering moderate injuries.

“Inquiries into the circumstances of the crash are under way,” said police.

A photographer at the scene said a rural section of Upper Sefton Rd was completely blocked to traffic and fire crews had cutting equipment.

Members of the public have reportedly stepped in to help with traffic control, turning away cars travelling towards the crash.

“It looked messy up there,” the photographer said.

-By Nathan Morton