The two people who died in a crash in rural Southland were employees of a Southland blueberry farm. In a social media post, Blueberry Country Southland said "with sadness" two members of their local blueberry picking crew died while on their way to work yesterday. ‘‘We are all devastated — they were [and] are valued members of our . A police spokesman said despite extensive efforts by emergency services, the two people died at the scene of the crash. The road was closed for much of the day while a scene examination was carried out by the Serious Crash Unit.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 11, 2026 19:41 UTC