A 31-year-old man is the second person to have died as a result of the crash between a milk tanker and car at Paengaroa - the third death on Western Bay of Plenty roads this holiday period.

The Indian man, from Rotorua, died at Waikato Hospital at 11.20pm last night after sustaining critical injuries while a passenger in the VW Golf car involved in the crash at the intersection of SH2 and Wilson Road at Paengaroa at about 8am.

Emergency services at the scene of the crash on State Highway 2. Photo: Cameron Avery.

Western Bay of Plenty road policing manager Senior Sergeant Ian Campion confirms the driver of the car, a 30-year-old Indian man also from Rotorua, died at the scene of the crash yesterday.

Two women passengers remain in a critical condition while a third man suffered minor injuries.

The names of those involved in the crash have not yet been released.

Bay of Plenty District Health Board communications manager Diana Marriott says a 42-year-old Rotorua woman remains in a serious condition in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit.

Police say three men and two women were travelling in the car when it turned right out of Wilson Road to travel south, colliding with a truck and trailer heading north.

Four of the five passengers were trapped in the car and had to be extracted by firefighters and two are still in hospital.

The truck driver was not seriously injured and is receiving support from Victim Support.

Ian says with this being the third death on Western Bay of Plenty roads during the holiday period he is urging drivers to take extreme care out on the roads by slowing down, respecting following distances, complying with intersection controls and driving refreshed by taking plenty of breaks.

Police enquiries are continuing and no further information is available at this time.

The two deaths brings the holiday road toll to six, including yesterday's crash and the fatal crash in Tauranga on Boxing Day.

On Boxing Day, SH2 was closed for several hours at Whakamarama after a man died when the rental car he was driving collided with another car, critically injuring an Omokoroa couple in their 70s.

The official Christmas and New Year road toll season runs from 4pm, December 24, and ends at 6am on Monday, January 5.