Police have released the identities of the three people killed in a Northland ute crash yesterday morning, with two children among the dead.
Those who died were Maurice Kareko, 35, Rhiannon Walters, 11, and Alec Walters, five.
Another child remains in Whangārei Hospital in a serious condition afte the crash and one more person received minor injuries and is now at home.
Emergency services, including a helicopter, were called to the scene of the crash on Whananaki North Road, near Whangārei, at around 2.13am yesterday morning, a Fire and Emergency spokesperson told 1 NEWS.
It's believed the vehicle veered off the side of the road before hitting a tree, Whangārei police sergeant Craig Burrows said.
Emergency services were called after a neighbour had heard the noise and went to investigate, he said.
All five occupants of the vehicle are believed to belong to a single family in the area.
"I imagine the family currently are going through a tragic moment," Mr Burrows said. "When we spoke to some of them, they were very distraught."
There was light drizzle on the road at the time of the incident, but it was believed to be "reasonably dry" when the crash occurred, Mr Burrows said. The road was described as winding but "reasonably safe" when driven to the conditions.
Fire services helped extract the occupants from the vehicle.
The road was closed overnight while police conducted a scene examination, but has since reopened.
An investigation is underway to establish the circumstances around the incident.
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