A 79-year-old woman has died in hospital after being struck by a car near Muriwai in one of two incidents in the area this morning.

Acting senior sergeant Andrew Wong said the elderly woman stepped into traffic near the intersection of Muriwai Rd and State Highway 16 about 9.30am, and was hit by a Holden Commodore.

She was taken to hospital with head injuries, but died soon after.

Neighbours of the woman, who is believed to have lived locally, comforted her at the scene.

SH16 was reduced to one lane for a time as serious crash investigators conducted a scene examination and spoke to witnesses including the driver of the Commodore.

The woman's name would not be released until next of kin had the opportunity to notify their wider family, police said.

In the second incident, a toddler was hit by a car in a driveway about 10.20am in Taupaki.

Wong said the two-year-old boy was taken to Starship Children's Hospital with moderate injuries and would be fine but "very sore".

- © Fairfax NZ News