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Hero of the Roads
Invercargill’s Sergeant Geoff Sutherland is a hero - official. On 7 May Geoff presented with the 2026 Yellow Ribbon Professional Road Safety Hero Award at the Australian College of Road Safety ‘Road Safety Conversations’ event in Auckland. The award is from the Yellow Ribbon Road Safety Alliance, which since 2022 has sought to acknowledge the work of outstanding individuals doing all they can to keep our roads safe.
Geoff’s boundless efforts to promote road safety have manifested in a number of ways, and through a number of initiatives in the deep south. In the early 2000s he was heavily involved in delivering ‘The Ripple Effect’ nationwide road safety roadshow to southern secondary schools, highlighting the repercussions of dangerous driving to younger motorists. At the other end of the age spectrum, Geoff was also instrumental in bringing the ‘Staying Safe – Mature Drivers’ education programme to motorists in their twilight years.
A very warm welcome to our newest Trafinz Members - Civil Hub Consultants Ltd and Traffic Safety & Flow Consulting Ltd.
Family ties at the core of Robyn's Road Safety Award
Trafinz treasurer Robyn Denton’s lifelong passion for road safety was acknowledged last month when she received the annual Leo Tooman Road Safety Award at the Waikato Police District Awards. Robyn was surrounded by her family and colleagues at the ceremony. Humbled by the award, Robyn says it was a recognition and celebration of all the people she’s worked with over the years.
“It’s an acknowledgement of the work done by many, many people. We will never know how many lives have been saved by the work we do, and how many families have avoided being dramatically changed by serious harm from road crashes.”
Robyn says she’s not a petrol head but does come from a ‘car family’, so she appreciated the award is adorned with a model of the long-retired Holden Commodore Police car. “My Dad and uncle would have approved – they loved (and collected) Chevys and Holdens.” A true Waikato girl, Robyn grew up around transport. Her family owned a bus company in Matamata and she says it helped shape her understanding and appreciation of transport from both the human and mechanical sides.
But the family connections are not limited to her past. Her husband Tony Denton also works in transport design, and their daughter Abigail also works in transport engineering, for private company AECOM. “With us for parents, I guess she had no hope of doing anything else,” says Robyn. “When we played eye-spy in the car, it was always cats-eyes, marker posts and speed limit signs.”
About the Leo Tooman Road Safety Award
Leo Tooman was a police officer for 40 years and was the Road Policing Manager for Waikato. After he retired, the Road Safety Award was established in his name to recognise people in the community who have demonstrated leadership, innovation and dedication in road safety in the Waikato.
The recipient is decided by an independent panel based on nominations received. Robyn insists she still doesn’t know who nominated her but says she is grateful.
TRANSPORTATION CONFERENCE 2026
The conference committee are pleased to share that the next Transportation Conference is confirmed for 14 - 17 March 2027.
Held at the Aotea Centre in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, this conference is sure to be another one you won’t want to miss! Keep an eye out on the website for updates!
CONFERENCE THEME
This conference will embody how transport and access have evolved, what we can learn from the past, and how we can keep an open mind as we navigate complex systems, shifting expectations, and changing physical and economic realities.
Progress isn’t just about new ideas, it’s about learning from experience - where have results defied projections? Why? Are there tools and processes that no longer serve us? What past decisions have opened up opportunities for us now?
Join us at Transportation Conference 2027: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow as we explore how we shape the future of transport and access: by reflecting on the past, responding to the challenges of today, and continuing to explore, innovate and improve for tomorrow.
The National-led government has raised speed limits. New data reveals the potential human cost of that move.
Between 2022 and 2023 Auckland Transport lowered speed limits on hundreds of roads. In 2025 many were raised again following the National government's changes to the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits (2024). Dr Timothy Welch, an Auckland University lecturer specialising in transport, has carried out an assessment on the entirety of Auckland. After accounting for traffic flows, weather and contributing factors such as driver impairment, he has concluded that the lower speed limits put in place by Auckland Council between 2022 and 2025 likely averted 138 crashes.
Though the numbers come with a statistical range, Welch’s best estimate is the changes were responsible for preventing 29 serious injuries and four deaths over the 30 months they were in place. The difference is stark. Crashes on the local streets with reduced limits were down 17% compared to the period prior to the changes. On corridors with higher traffic volumes, they were down 7%.
Former transport minister Simeon Brown cited lost productivity from slower travel times as a reason to reverse speed limit changes made during the term of the last Labour government. Welch argues his latest analysis undermines the productivity case for higher speeds. Using the NZTA’s value of a statistical life, Welch estimates lower speed limits saved $66 million in social cost. “One single serious injury, or one death on the road, is enough to cancel out all of the productivity savings you might gain from a slightly higher speed,” he says
