Five people have died following a single-vehicle crash in the Taupō District on Monday morning.
Police were called to the crash on Tirohanga Road near Okama Road just before 7:40am.
Police say one person was transported to Waikato Hospital by helicopter with serious injuries.
"The road will be closed for some hours and motorists are advised to avoid the area," police said in a statement.
"Motorists are asked to avoid Tirohanga Road while a scene examination is carried out."
Police say nine people have been killed on New Zealand roads today.
The crash near Taupō and two other fatal crashes this morning takes the number of people killed on New Zealand roads in the last eight days to 20.
NZ Transport Agency Director Harry Wilson says his thoughts and sympathies are with the whanau, friends and communities affected by the tragic events.
“Every road tragedy has a ripple effect out into our communities, our workplaces and of course within families."
Assistant Commissioner Sandra Venables says any death on the road is one too many and each death impacts so many people including family, friends and colleagues.
“We are committed to reducing death and injury on our roads, and we work alongside our road safety partners to do this. But we cannot do it alone, we need everyone’s help to keep our roads safe,” she says.