A person has died during a motorcycle race in the Canterbury town of Methven.
The incident occurred during a race in the Dubliner Methven Mountain Thunder Motorcycles Street Race on Saturday afternoon.
A spokeswoman for the Methven Lions Club, which hosts the event, said the crash involved one of the riders and was witnessed by a number of people.
"We have no further detail at the moment. The police are currently investigating and our thoughts are with the family and helping them through the afternoon," she said.
Police said in a statement that the motorcyclist suffered critical injuries in the crash shortly before 1pm.
The serious crash unit is investigating.
A Fire Service spokesman said they had cleared a landing area for a rescue helicopter but were then told it would not be required.
