Two killed in overnight crashes

police car
A pedestrian has died after being hit by a truck on State Highway 50 in Hawke's Bay. Photo credit: Newshub.

A pedestrian has died after being hit by a truck on State Highway 50 in Hawke's Bay.

The crash happened at Maraekakaho near Hastings around 6pm on Friday.

Police say early indications are the person may have been unloading equipment from another truck when the accident happened.

The road has been closed overnight with diversions in place.

And a person has died following a crash in south Waikato. No other cars were involved in the accident on Waipapa Rd in Wharepapa South, also around 6pm.

A second person was taken to hospital in a serious condition.

There have been 148 deaths on the road so far in 2021, 18 percent higher than last year thanks to the lockdown, but lower than in 2017, '18 and '19.