Pair badly hurt after crash

One person is in critical condition after a two-vehicle crash south of the Bombay Hills near Auckland.

Fire Service crew had to free one person from one of the vehicles and two from the other vehicle after the crash on the Waikato Expressway between Pokeno and Mercer about 5am today.

A St John ambulance spokeswoman said staff took at least one person to Middlemore Hospital in critical condition and one person in serious condition.

The spokeswoman was unsure of the condition of the other persons involved in the crash.