One person was killed and two others injured in a head-on crash near Ongarue, north of Taumarunui, where car and a van collided just before 3pm yesterday.

The car's front-seat passenger died at the scene. He was William Paul, 37, of Taumaranui.

The driver of the car, who was flown by the Westpac Waikato air ambulance to Waikato Hospital, is in a serious condition but described as stable. The van's driver has been released from hospital.