Car crash death near Tuatapere

A man was found dead following a single-car crash in western Southland.

The death brings the Labour Day Weekend road toll to five. Police received a report about 6am that a vehicle went off the road on State Highway 99, near Tuatapere, and hit a fence.

Police believe the crash may have happened sometime after midnight.

A fire communications spokesman said Tuatapere firefighters were called to crash scene shortly before 7am yesterday.

No-one trapped in the vehicle and there was no need to cut anyone from the vehicle, the spokesman said. The serious crash unit is investigating.

On Sunday, one person died after a three-car crash on Great South Rd in Wiri, Auckland. At least one other person received moderate injuries.

Two people died in a serious crash south of Whangarei on Saturday. Three others were left with serious to moderate injuries after the two-car crash on State Highway 1.

On Friday night, a teenage motorcyclist became the first fatality of the weekend after a collision with a car in Waikato.

The Labour Day weekend road toll officially began at 4pm on Friday and ends 6am on Tuesday.

Last year there were five deaths and 76 reported injuries on the roads over Labour weekend.

In 2016, three people died in crashes during the same holiday period. Five people died in 2015.