Two people were injured and seven horses trapped when a horse truck rolled on State Highway1 near Evansdale about 6pm.
The two occupants of the vehicle were treated by ambulance with minor injuries at the scene, St John said in a statement.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokeswoman said firefighters were in attendance by 7pm and a vet arrived soon after.
A police spokeswoman said all seven horses were rescued by 9pm and were all able to stand.
The spokeswoman said some of the horses appeared to have minor injuries but the extent was ‘‘yet to be determined’’.
The road was closed during the rescue, between Wilson Rd and Stead Rd where both lanes were blocked and traffic was diverted from the area via Coast Rd through Seacliff.
The road was due to reopen to traffic shortly after 9pm.
Details were not yet available last night as to the cause of the crash.
— Additional reporting Cas Saunders
