The main state highway south of Christchurch was closed after a crash Monday morning on the Rakaia bridge.

A truck and motorbike collided just before 10am. The motorcyclist was flown to Christchurch hospital but didn't survive his injuries.

This took the Labour Weekend's road toll to eight.

"That's really, really gutting to think that at the beginning of the weekend we had eight people that had a future - family, jobs, friends - and now they don't, and just so quickly as well," 

National Road Policing Director Superintendent Steve Greally told Newshub.

The eight fatalities occurred right across the country, including a devastating smash on Sunday near Whangarei.

"Going back a decade, this would be one of the worst Labour Day weekends we've experienced. I think we had seven last year, but we always say one death on our roads is one death too many," Supt Greally says.

There were two other serious incidents around Christchurch on Monday. Two were injured in a crash in the suburb of Templeton and a pedestrian was critically injured after being hit by a milk tanker on State Highway 1 near Kaiapoi.

Police say their messages are not getting through.

"We call it disappointing, we say we're frustrated," Supt Greally says.

"Most have heard us talk about this over the past several years, it's the same message that we're putting out. Terribly that message isn't getting through."

The road toll period doesn't end till 6am tomorrow.

"We don't want number nine," Supt Greally adds.

So police say be patient in long queues, don't speed and don't drive if impaired or fatigued.

While it is sad about the road toll lets put some things into perspective...

It equals a decade old toll. I now ask how in 2011 we had a population 4.3 million 10 years later we are now 5 million... and that equals to how many extra vehicles do we have on the road?

Police say their messages are not getting through. Well you dumb twit you have to keep telling every new generation... there is no point just telling me and then wait till I die before you tell the next person...? And as above, more vehicles on the road and yet over all the trend is fewer accidents and deaths on our roads. So per head of population the road toll is getting lower... You can not use last years figure to gauge this years figure by due to the fact that the situation on the roads have changed, you have a new generation driving, a larger population on the roads, and the infrastructure is barely keeping up and in some place it isn't and therefore things have changed so it is pointless comparing it.

No matter how much money you throw at it, how many times people are told,  you will always gets some that simply do not care, and you can not fix that...