UPDATED – 2.55pm: Emergency services are currently at the scene of a serious vehicle crash between a rental car and a logging truck on a busy rural Waikato highway.

District Road Policing Manager inspector Jeff Penno says first responders were called to the collision on State Highway 27 at Kaihere shortly before 1pm.

A collision between a rental car and a logging truck this afternoon on SH27 at Kaihere has left the car's male driver with critical injuries while his female passenger suffered life threatening injuries. Photo: Police

'The crash scene is currently being assessed and the Serious Crash Unit have just arrived,” says Jeff. 'Initial indications are the incident involved a northbound car losing control on a downhill bend that has collided with a southbound logging truck.

'The male driver of the car has suffered critical injuries in the crash and a female passenger in the car also suffered life threatening injuries.”

Jeff says fire fighters cut out one of the injured parties from the car and the couple are being airlifted to Waikato Hospital.

'While the occupants of the car are very seriously injured their situation could have been worse had the logging truck not been going slow up the hill and the driver not quickly reacted to what he saw unfolding.

'The investigation is in its early stages at this point but we can confirm it appears the occupants of the car were visitors from overseas.

Jeff adds: 'But we need to confirm this with consular officials before we can comment on nationalities.”

New Zealand road policing staff are striving to implement the safe system approach to road safety.

Jeff says: 'We accept that we are all human and that mistakes on our roads will be made but the other parts of the system need to compensate for this.

'In short, a mistake on our roads should not seriously injure or kill you.

'This is the vision and we are continually working as collaborative partners across the roading sector to achieve this. It has been a bad week on our road, and police feel this more than anyone.”

EARLIER

Waikato Police are investigating a collision between a Truck and car near Kaihere on State Highway 27 in the Hauraki plains this afternoon.

Police and emergency services were called to the scene where two persons were found with very serious injuries At about 1pm.

Northern Communications Centre inspector Kerry Watson says members of the fire service were in the process of removing one occupant from a vehicle.

'The injured will be transported to hospital via Helicopter,” says Kerry, '[and the] serious crash investigators are making their way to the scene.”

Kerry adds that sign posting will be in place shortly and while traffic travelling north on SH27 is flowing, south bound traffic is diverted at Torehape Road and Kaihere Roads.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area or face delay.

Photo: Police