Photo: ODT FilesThe holiday road toll has risen to eight with the death of a woman in hospital yesterday. The official Christmas and New Year period ended at 6am on Monday and the road toll was seven at that time. However, a woman who was critically injured in a crash on State Highway 3 south of Turakina on January 2 died in Wellington Hospital yesterday, and the death is included in the holiday period toll. The director of road policing, Superintendent Steve Greally, said police were not celebrating the drop in deaths over the past few years, because even one death was one too many. Greally said police would continue road policing operations and patrols, especially in higher-risk crash areas.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 06, 2026 01:50 UTC