One man is dead after his vehicle crashed into a bank near the small settlement of Tauwere, 14km east of Masterton, early today.
The crash happened about 1am on the Masterton-Castlepoint Road.
Police said the 31-year-old local man was the only occupant of the vehicle which crashed into the bank, and he died at the scene. He was only a few kilometres from home.
The cause of the crash was not yet known, but a police spokesman said it was thought the man was not wearing a seatbelt.
A diversion around the crash scene had been established, with traffic being diverted along Te Parae Road and into Masterton-Stronvar Road while the police serious crash team conduct a scene examination. The diversion was expected to remain in place until about mid-morning.
Meanwhile, one person has been critically injured in a crash involving a truck and two other vehicles in the Auckland suburb of Otahuhu about 6am today.
Police said diversions were put in place at the intersection of Great South Rd and Portage Rd and the area was cordoned off.
