May 2021

We're working towards a future where no one is killed or seriously injured in road crashes in Aotearoa New Zealand

This week we will begin seeking feedback from communities in Northland and north Auckland about the current speeds on 11 sections of state highway.

Over the last ten years more than 27000 people have lost their lives or been seriously injured on New Zealand’s roads, 1700 of these in Northland and 5800 in Auckland alone.

The effects of these deaths and serious injuries are traumatic for whānau, friends, communities, workplaces – and our whole country.

The areas we are putting under the spotlight in Northland and north Auckland have been identified as roads where safer speed limits could make a big difference in preventing more deaths and serious injuries.

Speed increases both the likelihood of crashes and the severity of crashes when they happen.

No matter what causes a crash, the speed at impact can be the difference between being killed, injured, or walking away unharmed. This is especially true when people who walk or bike are involved.

Have your say on safer speeds

We are asking people to have their say on how we can make speeds safe for these roads.

Feedback is open unil 9pm on June 14.

During this time, we want to hear people's concerns and tap into local knowledge about how these roads are used and how speeds are impacting local communities.

We’d like people to tell us about places that are hard to get to or from, how safe they feel crossing certain parts of the highway or letting their children walk or cycle to school in their area, and if there are any other sites or information that we need to be especially aware of.

This information will feed into the technical reviews of these stretches of state highway to help us determine where speed limit changes could improve safety.

The feedback will help shape any new proposed speed limits. Any changes to speed limits would then be formally consulted on.

Click here to find out more about the speed consultation process.

Click here to find out more about the national speed management programme.

We're reviewing 11 sections of state highway around Northland and north Auckland.

The roads we are reviewing

We’ve identified the following roads where safer speed limits could make a big difference in preventing deaths and serious injuries:

• SH1 Pukenui to Kaitaia
• SH10 Pakaraka to Taipa
• SH11 Kawakawa to Paihia
• SH1 Kawakawa to Whangārei
• SH1 Whangārei to Te Hana
• SH12 Ōmāpere to Kaikohe
• SH15 (north of Kaikohe) to Otaika
• SH14 Dargaville to Whangārei
• SH12 Brynderwyn to Ōmāpere
• SH16 Wellsford to Waimauku
• SH1 Te Hana to Warkworth

Locals know their roads best. We want people to share their thoughts on speeds on these roads, including around places like their local school, marae, businesses, home and workplace.

This feedback and local knowledge on how the roads are used, and what concerns people the most, will help us to determine if a speed limit change is the best thing we can do to improve safety for all road users.

Let us know what you think needs to be considered when reviewing speeds on these state highways.

How to have your say

You can find out more and have your say by:

• Visiting our website
• Emailing us at   northland.speed.reviews@nzta.govt.nz or auckland.speed.reviews@nzta.govt.nz

• Speaking to us at one of our upcoming community drop-in sessions. A full list of these events can be found our website.

We’d really appreciate if you could spread the word and share this opportunity with your community.

Speed is just one part of the road safety picture

Road to Zero, New Zealand’s road safety strategy, sets out the goal of reducing deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 40 percent over the next decade.

This sets an initial target of reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on New Zealand roads by 40 percent (compared to 2018 levels) by 2030, as a first step towards a long-term goal of no deaths or serious injuries.

You can learn more about how we’re working with the NZ Police, Ministry of Transport, local government, WorkSafe and others to deliver our road safety strategy ‘Road to Zero' here.

More information

For more information on the Northland and north Auckland speed reviews, visit our website nzta.govt.nz/northland-auckland-speed-reviews